By- GERTRUDE  ATHERTON- 


THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


© 


3 


AMERICAN  WIVES  AND 
ENGLISH  HUSBANDS 
A  NOVEL 


By  the  Same  Author. 


PATIENCE   SPARHAWK   AND   HER  TIMES. 
THE  DOOMSWOMAN. 
HIS  FORTUNATE  GRACE. 


A  WHIRL   ASUNDER. 

THE  CALIFORNIANS.     (Ready  Shortly.) 

Companion  Volumes  to  the  Calif ornian  part  of 
"American  Wives  and  English  Husbands." 


AMERICAN  WIVES  AND 
ENGLISH     HUSBANDS 

A   NOVEL 

By  GERTRUDE  ATHERTON 

Author  of  "Patience  Sparbawk,"  etc. 


NEW  YORK  :  DODD,  MEAD 
AND    COMPANY  1898 


Copyright,  1898, 
BY  DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 


5Sntbersttg 
JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON,  CAMBRIDGE,  U.S.A. 


'PS 
/O 

fits-/ 


TO 

'THE   LADIES   OF  RUE  GIRO? 
BOIS  GUILLAUME 


493230 


American  Wives 


and 


English  Husbands 


PART    ONE 

* 
CHAPTER   I 

MRS.  HAYNE'S  boarding-house  stood  on  the 
corner  of  Market  Street  and  one  of  those 
cross  streets  which  seem  to  leap  down  from  the 
heights  of  San  Francisco  and  empty  themselves  into 
the  great  central  thoroughfare  that  roars  from  the 
sandy  desert  at  the  base  of  Twin  Peaks  to  the  teem 
ing  wharves  on  the  edge  of  the  bay.  On  the  right 
of  Market  Street,  both  on  the  hills  and  in  the  erratic 
branchings  of  the  central  plain,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  climbs  and  swarms  modern  prosperous  San 
Francisco;  of  what  lies  beyond,  the  less  said  the 
better.  On  the  left,  at  the  far  south-east,  the  halo 
of  ancient  glory  still  hovers  about  Rincon  Hill, 
growing  dimmer  with  the  years:  few  of  the  many 
who  made  the  social  laws  of  the  Fifties  cling  to  the 
old  houses  in  the  battered  gardens;  and  their  chil 
dren  marry  and  build  on  the  gay  hills  across  the 
plain.  In  the  plain  itself  is  a  thick-set,  low-browed, 
dust-coloured  city;  "South  of  Market  Street"  is  a 


American  Wives 

generic  term  for  hundreds  of  streets  in  which  dwell 
thousands  of  insignificant  beings,  some  of  whom 
promenade  the  democratic  boundary  line  by  gas 
light,  but  rarely  venture  up  the  aristocratic  slopes. 
By  day  or  by  night  Market  Street  rarely  has  a 
moment  of  rest,  of  peace;  it  is  a  blaze  of  colour,  a 
medley  of  sound,  shrill,  raucous,  hollow,  furious, 
a  net- work  of  busy  people  and  vehicles  until  mid 
night  is  over.  Every  phase  of  the  city's  manifold 
life  is  suggested  there,  every  aspect  of  its  cosmo 
politanism. 

To  a  little  girl  of  eleven,  who  dwelt  on  the  third 
floor  of  Mrs.  Hayne's  boarding-house,  Market  Street 
was  a  panorama  of  serious  study  and  unvarying 
interest.  She  knew  every  shop  window,  in  all  the 
mutable  details  of  the  seasons,  she  had  mingled  with 
the  throng  unnumbered  times,  studying  that  strange 
patch-work  of  faces,  and  wondering  if  they  had  any 
life  apart  from  the  scene  in  which  they  seemed  eter 
nally  moving.  In  those  days  Market  Street  typified 
the  world  to  her;  although  her  school  was  some 
eight  blocks  up  the  hill  it  scarcely  counted.  All 
the  world,  she  felt  convinced,  came  sooner  or  later 
to  Market  Street,  and  sauntered  or  hurried  with 
restless  eyes,  up  and  down,  up  and  down.  The  sun 
rose  at  one  end  and  set  at  the  other;  it  climbed 
straight  across  the  sky  and  went  to  bed  behind  the 
Twin  Peaks.  And  the  trade  winds  roared  through 
Market  Street  as  through  a  mighty  canon,  and  the 
sand  hills  beyond  the  city  seemed  to  rise  bodily  and 
whirl  down  the  great  way,  making  men  curse  and 
women  jerk  their  knuckles  to  their  eyes.  On  sum- 


and  English  Husbands 

mer  nights  the  fog  came  and  banked  there,  and  the 
lights  shone  through  it  like  fallen  stars,  and  the 
people  looked  like  wraiths,  lost  souls  condemned  to 
wander  unceasingly. 

When  Mrs.  Tarleton  was  too  ill  to  be  left  alone, 
Lee  amused  herself  watching  from  above  the  crush 
and  tangle  of  street  cars,  hacks,  trucks,  and  drays 
for  which  the  wide  road  should  have  been  as  wide 
again,  holding  her  breath  as  the  impatient  or  timid 
foot-passengers  darted  into  the  transient  rifts  with 
bird-like  leaps  of  vision  and  wild  deflections.  Occa 
sionally  she  assumed  the  part  of  chorus  for  her 
mother,  who  regarded  the  prospect  beneath  her 
windows  with  horror. 

"Now!  She's  started  —  at  last!  Oh!  what  a 
silly!  Any  one  could  have  seen  that  truck  with 
half  an  eye.  She  turned  back  —  of  course!  Now  ! 
Now!  she  's  got  to  the  middle  and  there  's  a  funeral 
just  turned  the  corner !  She  can't  get  back !  She 's 
got  to  go  on.  Oh,  she  's  got  behind  a  man.  I  won 
der  if  she  '11  catch  hold  of  his  coat-tails?  There  — 
she  's  safe!  I  wonder  if  she  's  afraid  of  people  like 
she  is  of  Market  Street  ?  " 

"  If  I  ever  thought  you  crossed  that  street  at  the 
busy  time  of  the  day,  honey,  I  should  certainly  faint 
or  have  hysterics,"  Mrs.  Tarleton  was  in  the  habit  of 
remarking  at  the  finish  of  these  thrilling  interpre 
tations. 

To  which  Lee  invariably  replied:  "I  could  go 
right  across  without  stopping,  or  getting  a  crick  in 
my  neck  either;  but  I  don't,  because  I  wouldn't 
make  you  nervous  for  the  world.  I  go  way  up  when 

3 


American  Wives 

I  want  to  cross  and  then  turn  back.  It 's  nothing 
like  as  bad." 

"It  is  shocking  to  think  that  you  go  out  at  all 
unattended;  but  what  cannot  be  cannot,  and  you 
must  have  air  and  exercise,  poor  child ! " 

Lee,  who  retained  a  blurred,  albeit  rosy  impres 
sion  of  her  former  grandeur,  was  well  pleased  with 
her  liberty;  and  Mrs.  Tarleton  was  not  only  satisfied 
that  any  one  who  could  take  such  good  care  of  her 
mother  was  quite  able  to  take  care  of  herself,  but, 
so  dependent  was  she  on  the  capable  child,  that  she 
was  frequently  oblivious  to  the  generation  they 
rounded.  Mrs.  Tarleton  was  an  invalid,  and,  although 
patient,  she  met  her  acuter  sufferings  unresistingly. 
Lee  was  so  accustomed  to  be  roused  in  the  middle 
of  the  night  that  she  had  learned  to  make  a  poultice 
or  heat  a  kettle  of  water  while  the  receding  dreams 
were  still  lapping  at  her  brain.  She  dressed  her 
mother  in  the  morning  and  undressed  her  at  night. 
She  frequently  chafed  her  hands  and  feet  by  the 
hour;  and  cooked  many  a  dainty  Southern  dish  on 
the  stove  in  the  corner.  Miss  Hayne,  who  had  a 
sharp  red  nose  and  the  anxious  air  of  protracted 
maidenhood,  but  whose  heart  was  normal,  made  it 
her  duty  to  fetch  books  for  the  invalid  from  the 
Mercantile  Library,  and  to  look  in  upon  her  while 
Lee  was  at  school. 

Lee  brushed  and  mended  her  own  clothes, 
"  blacked  "  her  boots  with  a  vigorous  arm,  and  studied 
her  lessons  when  other  little  girls  were  in  bed. 
Fortunately  she  raked  them  in  with  extreme  rapidity, 
or  Mrs.  Tarleton  would  have  made  an  effort  and 

4 


and  English  Husbands 

remonstrated ;  but  Lee  declared  that  she  must  have 
her  afternoons  out  of  doors  when  her  mother  was 
well  and  companioned  by  a  novel ;  and  Mrs.  Tarleton 
scrupulously  refrained  from  thwarting  the  girl  whose 
narrow  childhood  was  so  unlike  what  her  own  had 
been,  so  unlike  what  the  fairies  had  promised  when 
Hayward  Tarleton  had  been  the  proudest  and  most 
indulgent  of  fathers. 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  II 

MARGUERITE   TARLETON'S  impression  of 
the  hour  in  which  she  found  herself  widowed 
and  penniless  was  very  vague;  she  was  down  with 
brain  fever  in  the  hour  that  followed. 

The  Civil  War  had  left  her  family  with  little  but 
the  great  prestige  of  its  name  and  the  old  house  in 
New  Orleans.  Nevertheless,  the  house  slaves  having 
refused  to  accept  their  freedom,  Marguerite  had 
"never  picked  up  her  handkerchief,"  when,  in  a 
gown  fashioned  by  her  mammy  from  one  of  her 
dead  mother's,  she  made  her  d6but  in  a  society  which 
retained  all  of  its  pride  and  little  of  its  gaiety.  Her 
mother  had  been  a  Creole  of  great  beauty  and  fas 
cination.  Marguerite  inherited  her  impulsiveness- 
and  vivacity ;  and,  for  the  rest,  was  ethereally  pretty, 
as  dainty  and  fastidious  as  a  young  princess,  and  had 
the  soft  manner  and  the  romantic  heart  of  the  con 
vent  maiden.  Hayward  Tarleton  captured  twelve 
dances  on  this  night  of  her  triumphant  de"but,  and 
proposed  a  week  later.  They  were  married  within 
the  month;  he  had  already  planned  to  seek  for 
fortune  in  California  with  what  was  left  of  his 
princely  inheritance. 

When  Tarleton  and  his  bride  reached  San  Fran 
cisco  the  fortune  he  had  come  to  woo  fairly  leapt 

6 


and  English  Husbands 

into  his  arms ;  in  three  years  he  was  a  rich  man,  and 
his  pretty  and  elegant  young  wife  a  social  power. 
It  was  a  very  happy  marriage.  Marguerite  idolised 
her  handsome  dashing  husband,  and  he  was  the 
slave  of  her  lightest  whim.  Their  baby  was  petted 
and  indulged  until  she  ruled  her  adoring  parents 
with  a  rod  of  iron,  and  tyrannised  over  the  servants 
like  a  young  slave-driver.  But  the  parents  saw  no 
fault  in  her,  and,  in  truth,  she  was  an  affectionate 
and  amiable  youngster,  with  a  fund  of  good  sense 
for  which  the  servants  were  at  a  loss  to  account. 
She  had  twenty-six  dolls  at  this  period,  a  large 
roomful  of  toys,  a  pony,  and  a  playhouse  of  three 
storeys  in  a  corner  of  the  garden. 

Then  came  the  great  Virginia  City  mining  excite 
ment  of  the  late  Seventies.  Tarleton,  satiated  with 
easy  success,  and  longing  for  excitement,  gambled ; 
at  first  from  choice,  finally  from  necessity.  His 
nerves  swarmed  over  his  will  and  stung  it  to  death, 
his  reason  burnt  to  ashes.  He  staggered  home 
one  day,  this  man  who  had  been  intrepid  on  the 
battle-field  for  four  blood-soaked  and  exhausting 
years,  told  his  wife  that  he  had  not  a  dollar  in  the 
world,  then  went  into  the  next  room  and  blew  out 
his  brains. 

The  creditors  seized  the  house.  Two  hours  before 
Mrs.  Tarleton  had  been  carried  to  Rincon  Hill  to 
the  home  of  Mrs.  Montgomery,  a  Southerner  who 
had  known  her  mother  and  who  would  have  offered 
shelter  to  every  stricken  compatriot  in  San  Francisco 
if  her  children  had  not  restrained  her.  Lee,  who 
had  been  present  when  her  father  spoke  his  last 

7 


American  Wives 

words  to  his  wife,  and  had  heard  the  report  of  the 
pistol,  lost  all  interest  in  dolls  and  picture-books 
for  ever,  and  refused  to  leave  the  sick-room.  She 
waited  on  her  mother  by  day,  and  slept  on  a  sofa  at 
the  foot  of  the  bed.  Mrs.  Montgomery  exclaimed 
that  the  child  was  positively  uncanny,  she  was  so  old- 
fashioned,  but  that  she  certainly  was  lovable.  Her 
own  young  children,  Tiny  and  Randolph,  although 
some  years  older  than  Lee,  thought  her  profoundly 
interesting,  and  stole  into  the  sick-room  whenever 
the  nurse's  back  was  turned.  Lee  barely  saw  them  ; 
she  retained  no  impression  of  them  afterward,  al 
though  the  children  were  famous  for  their  beauty 
and  fine  manners. 

When  Mrs.  Tarleton  recovered,  her  lawyer  re 
minded  her  that  some  years  before  her  husband 
had  given  her  a  ranch  for  which  she  had  expressed 
an  impulsive  wish  and  as  quickly  forgotten.  The 
deeds  were  at  his  office.  She  gave  her  jewels  to  the 
creditors,  but  decided  to  keep  the  ranch,  remarking 
that  her  child  was  of  more  importance  than  all 
the  creditors  put  together.  The  income  was  small, 
but  she  was  grateful  for  it.  Her  next  of  kin  were 
dead,  and  charity  would  have  been  insufferable. 

Mrs.  Hayne,  a  reduced  Southerner,  whom  Tarleton 
had  started  in  business,  offered  his  widow  a  large 
front  room  on  the  third  floor  of  her  boarding-house 
at  the  price  of  a  back  one.  In  spite  of  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery's  tears  and  remonstrances,  Mrs.  Tarleton 
accepted  the  offer,  and  persuaded  herself  that  she 
was  comfortable.  She  never  went  to  the  table,  nor 
paid  a  call.  Her  friends,  particularly  the  Southern- 

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and  English   Husbands 

ers  of  her  immediate  circle,  Mrs.  Montgomery,  Mrs. 
Geary,  Mrs.  Brannan,  Mrs.  Cartright,  and  Colonel 
Belmont  were  faithful ;  but  as  the  years  passed  their 
visits  became  less  frequent,  and  Mrs.  Montgomery 
was  much  abroad  with  her  children.  Marguerite 
Tarleton  cared  little.  Her  interest  in  life  had  died 
with  her  husband ;  such  energies  as  survived  in  her 
were  centred  in  her  child.  When  there  was  neither 
fog  nor  dust  nor  wind  nor  rain  in  the  city,  Lee 
dressed  her  peremptorily  and  took  her  for  a  ride 
in  the  cable-cars ;  but  she  spent  measureless  monoto 
nous  days  in  her  reclining  chair,  reading  or  sewing. 
She  did  not  complain  except  when  in  extreme  pain, 
and  was  interested  in  every  lineament  of  Lee's  busy 
little  life.  She  never  shed  a  tear  before  the  child, 
and  managed  to  maintain  an  even  state  of  mild  cheer 
fulness.  And  she  was  grateful  for  Lee's  skill  and 
readiness  in  small  matters  as  in  great ;  her  unaccus 
tomed  fingers  would  have  made  havoc  with  her  hair 
and  boots. 

"  Did  you  never,  never  button  your  own  boots, 
memmy?"  asked  Lee  one  day,  as  she  was  perform 
ing  that  office. 

"  Never,  honey.  When  Dinah  was  ill  your  father 
always  buttoned  them,  and  after  she  died  he  would  n't 
have  thought  of  letting  any  one  else  touch  them ; 
most  people  pinch  so.  Of  course  he  could  not  do 
my  hair,  but  he  often  put  me  to  bed,  and  he  always 
cut  up  my  meat." 

"  Do  all  men  do  those  things  for  their  wives  ?  " 
asked  Lee  in  a  voice  of  awe ;  "  I  think  they  must 
be  very  nice." 

9 


American  Wives 

/  "All  men  who  are  fit  to  marry,  and  all  Southern 
men,  you  may  be  sure.  I  want  to  live  long  enough 
to  see  you  married  to  a  man  as  nearly  like  your 
father  as  possible.  I  wonder  if  there  are  any  left ; 
America  gallops  so.  He  used  to  beg  me  to  think 
of  something  new  I  wanted,  something  it  would  be 
difficult  to  get ;  and  he  fairly  admired  to  button  my 
boots;  he  never  failed  to  put  a  little  kiss  right  there 
on  my  instep  when  he  finished." 

"  It  must  be  lovely  to  be  married  !  "  said  Lee. 

Mrs.  Tarleton  closed  her  eyes. 

"Was  papa  perfectly  perfect?  "  asked  Lee,  as  she 
finished  her  task  and  smoothed  the  kid  over  her 
mother's  beautiful  instep. 

"  Perfectly !  " 

"  I  heard  the  butler  say  once  that  he  was  as  drunk 
as  a  lord." 

"  Possibly,  but  he  was  perfect  all  the  same.  He 
got  drunk  like  a  gentleman  —  a  Southern  gentleman, 
I  mean,  of  course.  I  always  put  him  to  bed  and 
never  alluded  to  it." 


10 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  III 

T  EE  had  no  friends  of  her  own  age.  The  large 
'***  private  school  she  attended  was  not  patronised 
by  the  aristocracy  of  the  city,  and  Mrs.  Tarleton  had 
so  thoroughly  imbued  her  daughter  with  a  sense  of 
the  vast  superiority  of  the  gentle-born  Southerner 
over  the  mere  American,  that  Lee  found  in  the 
youthful  patrons  of  the  Chambers  Institute  little  like 
ness  to  her  ideals.  The  children  of  her  mother's  old 
friends  were  educated  at  home  or  at  small  and  very 
expensive  schools,  preparatory  to  a  grand  finish  in 
New  York  and  Europe.  Lee  had  continued  to  meet 
several  of  these  fortunate  youngsters  during  the  first 
two  of  the  five  years  which  had  followed  her  father's 
death,  but  as  she  outgrew  her  fine  clothes,  and  was 
put  into  ginghams  for  the  summers  and  stout  plaids 
for  the  winters,  she  was  obliged  to  drop  out  of  fash 
ionable  society.  Occasionally  she  saw  her  former 
playmates  sitting  in  their  parents'  carriages  before 
some  shop  in  Kearney  Street.  They  always  nodded 
gaily  to  her  with  the  loyalty  of  their  caste ;  the  magic 
halo  of  position  survives  poverty,  scandal  and  exile. 

"  When  you  are  grown  I  shall  put  my  pride  in  my 
pocket,  and  ask  Mrs.  Montgomery  to  bring  you  out, 
and  Jack  Belmont  to  give  you  a  party  dress,"  said 
Mrs.  Tarleton  one  day.  "  I  think  you  will  be  pretty, 

u 


American  Wives 

for  your  features  are  exactly  like  your  father's,  and 
you  have  so  much  expression  when  you  are  right 
happy,  poor  child !  You  must  remember  never  to 
frown,  nor  wrinkle  up  your  forehead,  nor  eat  hot  cakes, 
nor  too  much  candy,  and  always  wear  your  camphor 
bag  so  you  won't  catch  anything;  and  do  stand  up 
straight,  and  you  must  wear  a  veil  when  these  horrid 
trade  winds  blow.  Beauty  is  the  whole  battle  of  life 
for  a  woman,  honey,  and  if  you  only  do  grow  up 
pretty  and  are  properly  lanc/e,  you  will  be  sure  to 
marry  well.  That  is  all  I  am  trying  to  live  for." 

Lee  donned  the  veil  to  please  her  mother,  although 
she  loved  to  feel  the  wind  in  her  hair.  But  she  was 
willing  to  be  beautiful,  as  beauty  meant  servants  and 
the  reverse  of  boarding-house  diet.  She  hoped  to 
find  a  husband  as  handsome  and  devoted  as  her 
father,  and  was  quite  positive  that  the  kidney  flour 
ished  within  the  charmed  circle  of  society.  But  she 
sometimes  regarded  her  sallow  little  visage  with  deep 
distrust.  Her  black  hair  hung  in  lank  strands;  no 
amount  of  coaxing  would  make  it  curl,  and  her  eyes, 
she  decided,  were  altogether  too  light  a  blue  for 
beauty;  her  mother  had  saved  Tarleton's  small  library 
of  standard  novels  from  the  wreck,  and  Lee  had  dipped 
into  them  on  rainy  days ;  the  heroine's  eyes  when  not 
black  "  were  a  dark  rich  blue."  Her  eyes  looked  the 
lighter  for  the  short  thick  lashes  surrounding  them, 
and  the  heavy  brows  above.  She  was  also  very  thin, 
and  stooped  slightly ;  but  the  maternal  eye  was  hope 
ful.  Mrs.  Tarleton's  delicate  beauty  had  vanished 
with  her  happiness,  but  while  her  husband  lived  she 
had  preserved  and  made  the  most  of  it  with  many 


and  English  Husbands 

little  arts.  These  she  expounded  at  great  length  to 
her  daughter,  who  privately  thought  beauty  a  great 
bore,  unless  ready-made  and  warranted  to  wear,  and 
frequently  permitted  her  mind  to  wander. 

"  At  least  remember  this,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Tarleton 
impatiently  one  day  at  the  end  of  a  homily,  to  which 
Lee  had  given  scant  heed,  being  absorbed  in  the  ad 
venturous  throng  below,  "  if  you  are  beautiful  you 
rule  men  ;  if  you  are  plain,  men  rule  you.  If  you  are 
beautiful  your  husband  is  your  slave,  if  you  are  plain 
you  are  his  upper  servant.  All  the  brains  the  blue 
stockings  will  ever  pile  up  will  not  be  worth  one  com 
plexion.  (I  do  hope  you  are  not  going  to  be  a  blue, 
1  honey.)  Why  are  American  women  the  most  suc- 
\  cessful  in  the  world  ?  Because  they  know  how  to 
be  beautiful.  I  have  seen  many  beautiful  American 
women  who  had  no  beauty  at  all.  What  they  want 
they  will  have,  and  the  will  to  be  beautiful  is  like 
yeast  to  dough.  If  women  are  flap-jacks  it  is  their 
own  fault.  Only  cultivate  a  complexion,  and  learn 
how  to  dress  and  walk  as  if  you  were  used  to  the 
homage  of  princes,  and  the  world  will  call  you  beau 
tiful.  Above  all,  get  a  complexion." 

"  I  will !  I  will !  "  responded  Lee  fervently.  She 
pinned  her  veil  all  round  her  hat,  squared  her  shoul 
ders  like  a  young  grenadier,  and  went  forth  for  air. 

Although  debarred  from  the  society  of  her  equals, 
she  had  friends  of  another  sort.  It  was  her  private 
ambition  at  this  period  to  keep  a  little  shop,  one  half 
of  which  should  be  gay  and  fragrant  with  candies,  the 
other  sober  and  imposing  with  books.  This  ambition 
she  wisely  secluded  from  her  aristocratic  parent,  but 


American  Wives 

she  gratified  it  vicariously.  Some  distance  up  Market 
Street  she  had  discovered  a  book  shop,  scarcely  wider 
than  its  door  and  about  eight  feet  deep.  Its  presiding 
deity  was  a  blonde  young  man,  out-at-elbows,  con 
sumptive  and  vague.  Lee  never  knew  his  name;  she 
always  alluded  to  him  as  "  Soft-head."  He  never 
asked  hers ;  but  he  welcomed  her  with  a  slight  access 
of  expression,  and  made  a  place  for  her  on  the 
counter.  There  she  sat  and  swung  her  legs  for  hours 
together,  confiding  her  ambitions  and  plans,  and  re 
capitulating  her  lessons  for  the  intellectual  benefit  of 
her  host.  In  return  he  told  her  the  histories  of  the 
queer  people  who  patronised  him,  and  permitted  her 
to  "  tend  shop."  He  thought  her  a  prodigy,  and 
made  her  little  presents  of  paper  and  coloured 
pencils.  Not  to  be  under  obligations,  she  crocheted 
him  a  huge  woollen  scarf,  which  he  assured  her 
greatly  improved  his  health. 

She  also  had  a  warm  friend  in  a  girl  who  presided 
over  a  candy  store,  but  her  bosom  friend  and  confi 
dante  was  a  pale  weary-looking  young  woman  who  sud 
denly  appeared  in  a  secondhand  book  shop  in  lowly 
Fourth  Street,  on  the  wrong  side  of  Market.  Lee  was 
examining  the  dirty  and  disease-haunted  volumes  on 
the  stand  in  front  of  the  shop  one  day,  when  she  glanced 
through  the  window  and  met  the  eager  eyes  and  smile 
of  a  stranger.  She  entered  the  shop  at  once,  and, 
planting  her  elbows  on  the  counter,  told  the  newcomer 
hospitably  that  she  was  delighted  to  welcome  her  to 
that  part  of  the  city,  and  would  call  every  afternoon  if 
she  would  be  permitted  to  tend  shop  occasionally.  If 
the  stranger  was  amused  she  did  not  betray  herself; 

14 


and  English  Husbands 

she  accepted  the  overture  with  every  appearance  of 
gratitude,  and  begged  Lee  to  regard  the  premises  as 
her  own.  For  six  months  the  friendship  flourished. 
The  young  woman,  whose  name  was  Stainers,  helped 
Lee  with  her  sums,  and  had  a  keenly  sympathetic  ear 
for  the  troubles  of  little  girls.  Of  herself  she  never 
spoke.  Then  she  gave  up  her  own  battle,  and  was 
carried  to  the  county  hospital  to  die.  Lee  visited  her 
twice,  and  one  afternoon  her  mother  told  her  that  the 
notice  of  Miss  Stainer's  death  had  been  in  the  news 
paper  that  morning. 

Lee  wept  long  and  heavily  for  the  gentle  friend 
who  had  carried  her  secrets  into  a  pauper's  grave. 

"  You  are  so  young,  and  you  have  had  so  much 
trouble,"  said  Mrs.  Tarleton  with  a  sigh,  that 
night.  "  But  perhaps  it  will  give  you  more  char 
acter  than  I  ever  had.  And  nothing  can  break 
your  spirits.  They  are  your  grandmother's  all  over ; 
you  even  gesticulate  like  her  sometimes  and  then 
you  look  just  like  a  little  Creole.  She  was  a  won 
derful  woman,  honey,  and  had  forty-nine  offers  of 
marriage." 

"  I  hope  men  are  nicer  than  boys,"  remarked  Lee, 
not  unwilling  to  be  diverted.  "  The  boys  in  this 
house  are  horrid.  Bertie  Reynolds  pulls  my  hair 
every  time  I  pass  him,  and  calls  me  '  Squaw; '  and 
Tom  Wilson  throws  bread  balls  at  me  at  the  table 
and  calls  me  '  Broken-down-aristocracy.'  I  'm  sure 
they'll  never  kiss  a  girl's  slipper." 

"  A  few  years  from  now  some  girl  will  be  leading 
them  round  by  the  nose.  You  never  can  tell  how  a 
boy  will  turn  out;  it  all  depends  upon  whether  girls 

'5 


American  Wives 

take  an  interest  in  him  or  not.     These  are  probably 
scrubs." 

"There's  a  new  one  and  he's  rather  shy.  They 
say  he  's  English.  He  and  his  father  came  last  night. 
The  boy's  name  is  Cecil ;  I  heard  his  father  speak  to 
him  at  the  table  to-night.  The  father  has  a  funny 
name ;  I  can't  remember  it  Mrs.  Hayne  says  he  is 
very  distingut,  and  she  's  sure  he's  a  lord  in  disguise, 
but  I  think  he  's  very  thin  and  ugly.  He  has  the 
deepest  lines  on  each  side  of  his  mouth,  and  a  big 
thin  nose,  and  a  droop  at  the  corner  of  his  eyes. 
He 's  the  stuck-uppest  looking  thing  I  ever  saw. 
The  boy  is  about  twelve,  I  reckon,  and  looks  as  if 
he  was  n't  afraid  of  anything  but  girls.  He  has  the 
curliest  hair  and  the  loveliest  complexion,  and  his 
eyes  laugh.  They  're  hazel,  and  his  hair  is  brown. 
He  looks  much  nicer  than  any  boy  I  ever  saw." 

"  He  is  the  son  of  a  gentleman  —  and  English 
gentlemen  are  the  only  ones  that  can  compare  with 
Southerners,  honey.  If  you  make  friends  with  him 
you  may  bring  him  up  here." 

"  Goodness  gracious ! "  exclaimed  Lee.  Her 
mother  had  encouraged  her  to  ignore  boys,  and 
disliked  visitors  of  any  kind. 

"  I  feel  sure  he  is  going  to  be  your  next  friend, 
and  you  are  so  lonely,  honey,  now  that  poor  Miss 
Stainers  is  gone.  So  ask  him  up  if  you  like.  It 
makes  me  very  sad  to  think  that  you  have  no 
playmates." 

Lee  climbed  up  on  her  mother's  lap.  Once  in  a 
great  while  she  laid  aside  the  dignity  of  her  superior 
position  in  the  family,  and  demanded  a  petting. 

16 


and  English  Husbands 

Mrs.  Tarleton  held  her  close  and  shut  her  eyes,  and 
strove  to  imagine  that  the  child  in  her  arms  was  five 
years  younger,  and  that  both  were  listening  for  a  step 
which  so  often  smote  her  memory  with  agonising 
distinctness. 


<7 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  IV 

LEE  sat  limply  on  the  edge  of  her  cot  wishing 
she  had  a  husband  to  button  her  boots.  Mrs. 
Tarleton  had  been  very  ill  during  the  night,  and  her 
daughter's  brain  and  eyes  were  heavy.  Lee  had  no 
desire  for  school,  for  anything  but  bed ;  but  it  was 
eight  o'clock,  examinations  were  approaching,  and 
to  school  she  must  go.  She  glared  resentfully  at  the 
long  row  of  buttons,  half  inclined  to  wear  her  slip 
pers,  and  finally  compromised  by  fastening  every 
third  button.  The  rest  of  her  toilette  was  accom 
plished  with  a  like  disregard  for  fashion.  She  was 
not  pleased  with  her  appearance  and  was  disposed 
to  regard  life  as  a  failure.  At  breakfast  she  received 
a  severe  reprimand  from  Mrs.  Hayne,  who  informed 
her  and  the  table  inclusively  that  her  hair  looked  as 
if  it  had  been  combed  by  a  rake,  and  rebuttoned  her 
frock  there  and  then  with  no  regard  for  the  pride  of 
eleven.  Altogether,  Lee,  between  her  recent  afflic 
tion,  her  tired  head,  and  her  wounded  dignity,  started 
for  school  in  a  very  depressed  frame  of  mind. 

As  she  descended  the  long  stair  leading  from  the 
first  floor  of  the  boarding-house  to  the  street  she 
saw  the  English  lad  standing  in  the  door.  They  had 
exchanged  glances  of  curiosity  and  interest  across 

18 


and  English  Husbands 

the  table,  and  once  he  had  offered  her  radishes,  with 
a  lively  blush.  That  morning  she  had  decided  that 
he  must  be  very  nice  indeed,  for  he  had  turned  scar 
let  during  Mrs.  Hayne's  scolding  and  had  scowled 
quite  fiercely  at  the  autocrat. 

He  did  not  look  up  nor  move  until  she  asked  him 
to  let  her  pass ;  he  was  apparently  absorbed  in  the 
loud  voluntary  of  Market  Street,  his  cap  on  the  back 
of  his  head,  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  his  feet  well 
apart.  When  Lee  spoke,  he  turned  swiftly  and 
grabbed  at  her  school-bag. 

"You're  tired,"  he  said,  with  so  desperate  an 
assumption  of  ease  that  he  was  brutally  abrupt,  and 
Lee  jumped  backward  a  foot. 

"  I  beg  pardon,"  he  stammered,  his  eyes  full  of 
nervous  tears.  "  But  —  but  —  you  looked  so  tired  at 
breakfast,  and  you  did  n't  eat ;  I  thought  I  'd  like 
to  carry  your  books." 

Lee's  face  beamed  with  delight,  and  its  fatigue 
vanished,  but  she  said  primly:  "You're  very  good, 
I  'm  sure,  and  I  like  boys  that  do  things  for  girls." 

"  I  don't  usually,"  he  replied  hastily,  as  if  fearful 
that  his  dignity  had  been  compromised.  "  But,  let 's 
come  along.  You  're  late." 

They  walked  in  silence  for  a  few  moments.  The 
lad's  courage  appeared  exhausted,  and  Lee  was  cast 
ing  about  for  a  brilliant  remark ;  she  was  the  cleverest 
girl  in  her  class  and  careful  of  her  reputation.  But 
her  brain  would  not  work  this  morning,  and  fearing 
that  her  new  friend  would  bolt,  she  said  precipi 
tately  : 

"  I  'm  eleven.     How  old  are  you?  " 
19 


American  Wives 

"  Fourteen  and  eleven  months." 

"  My  name 's  Lee  Tarleton.     What 's  yours?  " 

'•'  Cecil  Edward  Basil  Maundrell.  I  Ve  got  two 
more  than  you  have." 

"  Well  you  're  a  boy,  anyhow,  and  bigger,  are  n't 
you?  I'm  named  after  a  famous  man  —  second 
cousin,  General  Lee.  Lee  was  my  father's  mother's 
family  name." 

"  Who  was  General  Lee?  " 

"  You  'd  better  study  United  States  history." 

"What  for?" 

The  question  puzzled  Lee,  her  eagle  being  yet  in 
the  shell.  She  replied  rather  lamely, "  Well,  Southern 
history,  because  my  mother  says  we  are  descended 
from  the  English,  and  some  French.  It 's  the  last 
makes  us  Creoles." 

"Oh!  I'll  ask  father." 

"  Is  he  a  lord  ?  "  asked  Lee,  with  deep  curiosity. 

"No." 

The  boy  answered  so  abruptly  that  Lee  stood  still 
and  stared  at  him.  He  had  set  his  lips  tightly;  it 
would  almost  seem  he  feared  something  might  leap 
from  them. 

"  Oh  —  h  —  h!  Your  father  has  forbidden  you  to 
tell." 

The  clumsy  male  looked  helplessly  at  the  astute 
female.  "  He  is  n't  a  lord,"  he  asserted  doggedly. 

"  You  are  n't  telling  me  all,  though." 

"Perhaps  I'm  not.  But,"  impulsively,  "perhaps  I 
will  some  day.  I  hate  being  locked  up  like  a  tin  box 
with  papers  in  it.  We  Ve  been  here  two  weeks  —  at 
the  Palace  Hotel  before  we  came  to  Mrs.  Hayne's  — 

20 


and  English  Husbands 

and  my  head  fairly  aches  thinking  of  everything  I  say 
before  I  say  it.  I  hate  this  old  California.  Father 
won't  present  any  letters,  and  the  boys  I  Ve  met  are 
cads.  But  I  like  you  !  " 

"  Oh,  tell  me !  "  cried  Lee.  Her  eyes  blazed  and 
she  hopped  excitedly  on  one  foot.  "  It 's  like  a  real 
story.  Tell  me !  " 

"  I  "11  have  to  know  you  better.  I  must  be  sure  I 
can  trust  you."  He  had  all  at  once  assumed  a  darkly 
mysterious  air.  "  I  '11  walk  every  morning  to  school 
with  you,  and  in  the  afternoons  we'll  sit  in  the  draw 
ing-room  and  talk." 

"  I  never  tell  secrets.     I  know  lots  !  " 

"  I  '11  wait  a  week." 

"  Well ;  but  I  think  it 's  horrid  of  you.  And  I  can't 
come  down  this  afternoon;  my  mother  is  ill.  But 
to-morrow  I  have  a  holiday,  and  if  you  like  you  can 
come  up  and  see  me  at  two  o'clock;  and  you  shall 
carry  my  bag  every  morning  to  school." 

"  Indeed !  "  He  threw  up  his  head  like  a  young 
racehorse. 

"  You  must,"  —  firmly.  "  Else  you  can't  come. 
I  '11  let  some  other  boy  carry  it."  Lee  fibbed  with  a 
qualm,  but  not  upon  barren  soil  had  the  maternal 
counsel  fallen. 

"Oh— well  — I'll  do  it;  but  I  ought  to  have  of 
fered.  Girls  ought  not  to  tell  boys  what  to  do." 

"  My  mother  always  told  her  husband  and  brothers 
and  cousins  to  do  everything  she  wanted,  and  they 
always  did  it." 

"  Well,  I  Ve  got  a  grandmother  and  seven  old  maid 
aunts,  and  they  never  asked  me  to  do  a  thing  in  their 

21 


American  Wives 

lives.  They  wait  on  me.  They'd  do  anything  for 
me." 

"  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself.  Boys  were 
made  to  wait  on  girls." 

"  They  were  not.     I  never  heard  such  rot." 

Lee  considered  a  moment.  He  was  quite  as  aris 
tocratic  as  any  Southerner;  there  was  no  doubt  of 
that.  But  he  had  been  badly  brought  up.  Her  duty 
was  plain. 

"  You  'd  be  just  perfect  if  you  thought  girls  were 
more  important  than  yourself,"  she  said  wheedlingly. 

"  I  '11  never  do  that,"  he  replied  stoutly. 

"  Then  we  can't  be  friends !  " 

"  Oh,  I  say !  Don't  rot  like  that.  I  won't  give  you 
something  I  Ve  got  in  my  pockets,  if  you  do." 

Lee  glanced  swiftly  at  his  pockets.  They  bulged. 
"  Well,  I  won't  any  more  to-day,"  she  said  sweetly. 
"What  have  you  got  for  me?  You  are  a  nice 
boy." 

He  produced  an  orange  and  a  large  red  apple,  and 
offered  them  diffidently. 

Lee  accepted  them  promptly.  "Did  you  really 
buy  these  for  me?"  she  demanded,  her  eyes  flashing 
above  the  apple.  "  You  are  the  best  boy !  " 

"  I  did  n't  buy  them  on  purpose,  but  my  father 
bought  a  box  of  fruit  yesterday  and  I  saved  these  for 
you.  They  were  the  biggest." 

"  I  'm  ever  so  much  obliged." 

"  You  're  welcome,"  he  replied,  with  equal  concern 
for  the  formalities. 

"  This  is  my  school." 

"  Well,  I'm  sorry." 

22 


and  English  Husbands 

"  You  '11  come  up  at  two  to-morrow?  Number  142, 
third  floor." 

"  I  will." 

They  shook  hands  limply.  He  glanced  back  as  he 
walked  off,  whistling.  Lee  was  standing  on  the  steps 
hastily  disposing  of  her  apple.  She  nodded  gaily  to 
him. 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  next  afternoon  Lee  made  an  elaborate  toi 
lette.    She  buttoned  her  boots  properly,  sewed 
a  stiff,  white  ruffle  in  her  best  gingham  frock,  and 
combed  every  snarl  out  of  her  hair.     Mrs.  Tarleton, 
who  was  sitting  up,  regarded  her  with  some  surprise. 

"  It 's  nowhere  near  dinner  time,  honey,"  she  said, 
finally.  "Why  are  you  dressing  up?" 

Lee  blushed,  but  replied  with  an  air :  "  I  expect 
that  little  boy  I  told  you  about,  to  come  to  see  me  — 
the  English  one.  He  carried  my  bag  to  school  yes 
terday,  and  gave  me  an  apple  and  an  orange.  I  Ve 
kept  the  orange  for  you  when  you're  well.  His 
name  's  Cecil  Maundrell." 

"  Ah !  Well,  I  hope  he  is  a  nice  boy,  and  that 
you  will  be  great  friends." 

"  He 's  nice  enough  in  his  way.  But  he  'd  just 
walk  over  me  if  I  'd  let  him.  I  can  see  that." 

Mrs.  Tarleton  looked  alarmed.  "  Don't  let  him 
bully  you,  darling.  Englishmen  are  dreadfully  high 
and  mighty." 

There  was  a  faint  and  timid  rap  upon  the  door. 

"That's  him,"  whispered  Lee.  "He's  afraid  of 
me  all  the  same." 

She  opened  the  door.  Young  Maundrell  stood 
there,  his  cheeks  burning,  his  hands  working  ner 
vously  in  his  pockets.  He  looked  younger  than 

24 


and  English  Husbands 

most  lads  of  his  age,  and  had  all  that  simplicity  of 
boyhood  so  lacking  in  the  precocious  American 
youth. 

"Won't  you  come  in?  "  asked  Lee  politely. 

"  Oh  —  ah  —  won't  you  come  out?  " 

"Come  in  —  do,"  said  Mrs.  Tarleton.  She  had  a 
very  sweet  voice  and  a  heavenly  smile.  The  boy 
walked  forward  rapidly,  and  took  her  hand,  regard 
ing  her  with  curious  intensity.  Mrs.  Tarleton  patted 
his  hand. 

"  You  miss  the  women  of  your  family,  do  you 
not?"  she  said.  "I  thought  so.  You  must  come 
and  see  us  often.  You  will  be  always  welcome." 

His  face  was  brilliant.  He  stammered  out  that 
he  'd  come  every  day.  Then  he  went  over  to  the 
window  with  Lee,  and  with  their  heads  together 
they  agreed  that  Mrs.  Tarleton  was  a  real  angel. 

But  Cecil  quickly  tired  of  the  subdued  atmosphere, 
and  of  the  crowd  below.  He  stood  up  abruptly  and 
said: 

"  Let 's  go  out  if  your  mother  does  n't  mind.  We  '11 
take  a  walk." 

Mrs.  Tarleton  looked  up  from  her  book  and  nodded. 
Lcc  fetched  her  hat  and  jacket,  and  they  went  forth. 

"  My  father  took  me  to  the  Cliff  House  one  day. 
We  '11  go  there,"  announced  the  Englishman. 

"  I  was  going  to  take  you  to  a  candy  store  — 

"Nasty  stuff!  It's  a  beautiful  walk  to  the  Cliff 
House,  and  there  are  big  waves  and  live  seals." 

"Oh,  I'd  love  to  go,  but  I've  heard  it's  a  queer 
kind  of  a  place,  or  something." 

"  I  '11  take  care  of  you.     Can  you  walk  a  lot?  " 
25 


American  Wives 

"  Of  course !  " 

But  like  all  San  Franciscans,  she  was  a  bad  walker, 
and  she  felt  very  weary  as  they  tramped  along  the 
Cliff  House  road.  However,  she  was  much  interested 
in  the  many  carriages  flashing  past,  and  too  proud  to 
confess  herself  unequal  to  the  manly  stride  beside 
her.  Cecil  did  not  suit  his  pace  to  hers.  He  kept 
up  a  steady  tramp  —  his  back  very  erect,  his  head 
in  the  air.  Lee  forgot  her  theories,  and  thought  him 
adorable.  His  shyness  wore  off  by  degrees,  and  he 
talked  constantly,  not  of  his  family  life,  but  of  his 
beloved  Eton,  from  which  he  appeared  to  have  been 
ruthlessly  torn,  and  of  his  feats  at  cricket.  He  was 
a  champion  "dry  bob,"  he  assured  her  proudly. 
Lee  was  deeply  interested,  but  would  have  liked  to 
talk  about  herself  a  little.  He  did  not  ask  her  a 
question;  he  was  charmed  with  her  sympathy,  and 
confided  his  school  troubles,  piling  up  the  agony,  as 
her  eyes  softened  and  flashed.  When  she  capped 
an  anecdote  of  martyrdom  with  one  from  her  own  ex 
perience,  he  listened  politely,  but  when  she  finished, 
hastened  on  with  his  own  reminiscences,  not  pausing 
to  comment.  Lee  experienced  a  slight  chill,  and  the 
spring  day  seemed  less  brilliant,  the  people  in  the 
carriages  less  fair.  But  she  was  a  child,  the  impres 
sion  quickly  passed,  and  her  interest  surrendered 
once  more. 

"  We  '11  be  there  in  two  minutes,"  said  Cecil. 
"  Then  we  '11  have  a  cup  of  tea." 

"  My  mother  does  n't  let  me  drink  tea  or  coffee. 
She  hopes  I  '11  have  a  complexion  some  day  and  be 
pretty." 

26 


and  English  Husbands 

She  longed  for  the  masculine  assurance  that  her 
beauty  was  a  foregone  conclusion,  but  Cecil  replied : 

"  Oh !  the  idea  of  bothering  about  complexion.  I 
like  you  because  you  're  not  silly  like  other  girls. 
You've  got  a  lot  of  sense — just  like  a  boy.  Of 
course  you  mustn't  disobey  your  mother,  but  you 
must  have  something  after  that  walk.  You  Ve  got 
a  lot  of  pluck,  but  I  can  see  you  're  blown  a 
bit.  Would  she  mind  if  you  had  a  glass  of  wine? 
I  Ve  got  ten  dollars.  My  stepmother  sent  them 
to  me." 

"  My  !  —  I  don't  think  she  'd  mind  about  the  wine. 
I  Ve  never  tasted  it.  Oh,  goodness !  " 

They  had  mounted  one  of  the  rocks,  and  faced 
the  ocean.  Lee  had  thought  the  bay,  girt  with  its 
colourous  hills  very  beautiful,  as  they  had  trudged 
along  the  cliffs,  but  she  had  had  glimpses  of  it  many 
times  from  the  heights  of  San  Francisco.  She  had 
never  seen  the  ocean  before.  Its  roar  thrilled  her 
nerves,  and  the  great  green  waves,  rolling  in  with 
magnificent  precision  from  the  grey  plain  beyond, 
to  leap  abruptly  over  the  outlying  rocks,  their  spray 
glittering  in  the  sunlight  like  a  crust  of  jewels,  filled 
her  brain  with  new  and  inexpressible  sensations.  She 
/  turned  suddenly  to  Cecil.  His  eyes  met  hers  with 
deep  impersonal  sympathy ;  their  souls  mingled  on 
the  common  ground  of  nervous  exaltation.  He  moved 
closer  to  her  and  took  her  hand. 

"  That 's  the  reason  I  wanted  to  come  again,"  he 
said.  "  I  love  it." 

The  words  shook  his  nerves  down,  and  he  added : 
"  But  let 's  go  and  freshen  up." 

27 


American  Wives 

She  followed  him  up  the  rocks  to  the  little  shabby 
building  set  into  the  cliff  and  overhanging  the  waves. 
She  knew  nothing  of  its  secrets ;  no  suspicion  crossed 
her  innocent  mind  that  if  its  walls  could  speak,  San 
Francisco,  highly  seasoned  as  it  was,  would  shake 
to  its  roots,  and  heap  up  its  record  of  suicide  and 
divorce;  but  she  wondered  why  two  women,  who 
came  out  and  passed  her  hurriedly,  were  so  heavily 
veiled,  and  why  others,  sitting  in  the  large  restaurant, 
had  such  queer-looking  cheeks  and  eyes.  Some  in 
herited  instinct  forbade  her  to  comment  to  Cecil,  who 
did  not  give  the  women  a  glance.  He  led  her  to  a 
little  table  at  the  end  of  the  piazza,  and  ordered  claret 
and  water,  tea,  and  a  heaping  plate  of  bread  and 
butter. 

It  was  some  time  before  they  were  served,  and 
they  gazed  delightedly  at  a  big  ship  going  out,  and 
wished  they  were  on  it ;  at  the  glory  of  colour  on  the 
hills  opposite;  and  at  the  seals  chattering  on  the 
rocks  below. 

"It's  heavenly,  perfectly  heavenly,"  sighed  Lee. 
"  I  never  had  such  a  good  time  in  all  my  life." 

She  forgot  her  complexion  and  took  off  her  hat. 
The  salt  breeze  stung  the  blood  into  her  cheeks,  and 
her  eyes  danced  with  joy. 

The  waiter  brought  the  little  repast.  The  chil 
dren  sipped  and  nibbled  and  chattered.  Cecil 
scarcely  took  his  eyes  off  the  water.  He  and  his 
father  went  off  on  sailing  and  fishing  excursions  every 
summer,  he  told  Lee,  and  he  was  so  keen  on  the 
water  that  it  had  taken  him  fully  three  months  after 
he  entered  Eton  to  decide  whether  he  would  be  a 

28 


and  English  Husbands 

"  wet  bob,"  or  a  "  dry  bob."  Cricket  had  triumphed, 
because  he  loved  to  feel  his  heels  fly. 

Lee  gave  him  a  divided  attention:  her  brain  was 
fairly  dancing,  and  seemed  ready  to  fly  off  in  several 
different  directions  at  once.  "  Oh !  "  she  cried  sud 
denly,  "  I  'm  not  a  bit  tired  any  more.  I  feel  as  if  I 
could  walk  miles  and  miles.  Let's  have  an  adven 
ture.  Wouldn't  it  be  just  glorious  if  we  could  have 
an  adventure  ?  " 

The  boy's  eyes  flashed.  "  Oh,  would  you.  I  've 
been  thinking  about  it  —  but  you  're  a  girl.  But 
you  're  such  a  jolly  sort !  We  '11  get  one  of  those 
fishing-boats  to  take  us  out  to  sea,  and  climb  up  and 
down  those  big  waves.  Oh,  fancy !  I  say !  —  will 
you?" 

"  Oh,  won't  I?     Youbetcherlife  I  will." 

Cecil  paid  his  reckoning,  and  the  children  scrambled 
along  the  rocks  to  a  cove  where  a  fishing  smack  was 
making  ready  for  sea.  Lee  wondered  why  her  feet 
glanced  off  the  rocks  in  such  a  peculiar  fashion,  but 
she  was  filled  with  the  joy  of  exhilaration,  of  a  reck 
less  delight  in  doing  something  of  which  the  entire 
Hayne  boarding-house  would  disapprove. 

Cecil  made  a  rapid  bargain  with  the  man,  an 
ugly  Italian,  who  gave  him  scant  attention.  A  few 
moments  later  they  were  skimming  up  and  down  the 
big  waves  and  making  for  the  open  sea.  At  first  Lee 
clung  in  terror  to  Cecil,  who  assured  her  patronisingly 
that  it  was  an  old  story  with  him,  and  there  was  no 
danger.  In  a  few  moments  the  exhilaration  returned 
five-fold,  and  she  waved  her  arms  with  delight  as  they 
shot  down  the  billows  into  the  emerald  valleys.  Out 

29 


American  Wives 

at  sea  the  boat  skimmed  along  an  almost  level  sur 
face,  and  the  children  became  absorbed  in  the  big  fish 
nets,  and  very  dirty.  Lee  thought  the  flopping  fish 
nasty  and  drew  up  her  feet,  but  Cecil's  very  nostrils 
quivered  with  the  delight  of  the  sport,  although  his 
surly  hosts  had  snubbed  his  offer  to  lend  a  hand. 

Suddenly  Lee  rubbed  her  eyes.  The  sun  had  gone. 
He  had  been  well  above  the  horizon  the  last  time  she 
had  glanced  across  the  waters.  Had  he  slipped  his 
moorings?  She  pointed  out  the  phenomenon  to 
Cecil.  He  stared  a  moment,  then  appealed  to  the 
Italians. 

"  Da  fogga,  by  damn !  "  exclaimed  the  Captain  to 
his  mate.  "What  for  he  coming  so  soon?  Com 
abouta." 

The  little  craft  turned  and  raced  with  the  breeze 
for  land.  The  children  faced  about  and  watched  that 
soft  stealthy  curtain  swing  after.  It  was  as  white  as 
cloud,  as  chill  as  dawn,  as  eerie  as  sound  in  the  night. 
It  took  on  varying  outlines,  breaking  into  crags  and 
mountain  peaks  and  turrets.  It  opened  once  and 
caught  a  wedge  of  scarlet  from  the  irate  sun.  For  a 
moment  a  ribbon  of  flame  ran  up  and  down  its  length, 
then  broke  into  drops  of  blood,  then  hurried  whence 
it  came.  Through  the  fog  mountain  came  a  long  dis 
mal  moan,  the  fog-horn  of  the  Farallones,  warning 
the  ships  at  sea. 

The  children  crept  close  together.  Lee  locked  her 
arm  in  Cecil's.  Neither  spoke.  Suddenly  the  boat 
jolted  heavily  and  they  scrambled  about,  thinking 
they  were  on  the  rocks.  But  the  Italians  were  tying 
the  boat  to  a  little  wharf,  and  unreefing  her.  The 

30 


and  English  Husbands 

dock  was  strangely  unfamiliar.  Cecil  glanced  hastily 
across  the  bay.  San  Francisco  lay  opposite. 

"  Oh,  I  say !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Are  n't  you  going 
across  before  that  fog  gets  here?  " 

"  Si  you  wanta  crossa  that  bay  you  swimming," 
remarked  the  Captain,  stepping  ashore. 

Cecil  jumped  after  him  with  blazing  eyes  and 
angry  fists.  "  You  know  I  thought  you  were  going 
back  there,"  he  cried.  "  Why,  you  're  a  villain ! 
And  a  girl  too !  I  '11  have  you  arrested." 

The  man  laughed.  Cecil,  through  tears  of  mortifi 
cation,  regarded  that  large  bulk,  and  choked  back 
his  wrath. 

"  My  father  will  pay  you  well  if  you  take  us  back," 
he  managed  to  articulate. 

"  No  crossa  that  bay  to-night,"  replied  the  man. 

"  But  how  are  we  to  get  back? " 

"  Si  you  walka  three,  four,  five  miles  —  no  can 
remember  —  you  finda  one  ferra-boat."  And  he 
sauntered  away. 

Cecil  returned  to  the  boat  and  helped  Lee  to  land. 
"  I  'm  awfully  sorry,"  he  said.  "  What  a  beastly  mess 
I  Ve  got  you  into  !  " 

"  Oh,  never  mind,"  said  Lee  cheerfully.  "  I  reckon 
I  can  walk." 

"  You  are  a  jolly  sort.  Come  on  then."  But  his 
brow  was  set  in  gloom. 

Lee  took  his  hand.  "  You  looked  just  splendid 
when  you  talked  to  that  horrid  man,"  she  said.  "  I 
am  sure  he  was  afraid  of  you ! " 

Cecil's  brow  shot  forth  the  nimbus  of  the  conqueror. 

"  Lee,"  he  said  in  a  tone  of  profound  conviction, 
3* 


American  Wives 

"  you  have  more  sense  than  all  the  rest  of  the  girls  in 
the  world  put  together.  Come  on  and  I  '11  help  you 
along." 

They  climbed  the  bluff.  When  they  reached  the 
top  the  world  was  white  and  impalpable  about 
them. 

Cecil  drew  Lee's  hand  through  his  arm.  "Never 
mind,"  he  said,  "  I  think  I  have  a  good  bump  of 
locality,  and  one  can  see  a  little  way  ahead." 

Lee  leaned  heavily  on  his  arm.  "  I  can't  think  why 
I  feel  so  sleepy,"  she  murmured.  "  I  never  am  at 
this  time  of  day." 

"  Oh,  for  mercy's  sake  don't  go  to  sleep.  Let 's 
run." 

They  ran  headlong  until  they  were  out  of  breath. 
Then  they  stopped  and  gazed  into  the  fog  ahead  of 
them.  Tall  dark  objects  loomed  there.  They  seemed 
to  touch  the  unseen  stars,  and  they  were  black  even 
in  that  gracious  mist. 

"They're  trees.  They're  redwoods,"  said  Cecil. 
"I  know  where  we  are  now  —  at  least  I  think  I  do. 
Father  and  I  came  over  to  this  side  one  day  and 

drove  about.    It 's  a  regular  forest.     I  do  hope " 

He  glanced  uneasily  about.  "  It 's  too  bad  we  can't 
walk  along  the  edge  of  the  cliffs.  But  if  we  keep 
straight  ahead  I  suppose  it  '11  be  all  right." 

They  trudged  on.  The  forest  closed  about  them. 
Those  dark  rigid  shafts  that  no  storm  ever  bends, 
no  earthquake  ever  sways,  whom  the  fog  feeds  and 
the  trade  winds  love,  looked  like  the  phantasm  of 
themselves  in  the  pale  hereafter.  The  scented  under- 
bush  and  infant  redwoods  grew  high  above  the  heads 

32 


and  English   Husbands 

of  the  children,  and   there  were   a   hundred   paths. 
The  roar  of  the  sea  grew  faint. 

Lee  gave  a  gasping  yawn  and  staggered.  "  Oh, 
Cecil,"  she  whispered,  "  I  'm  asleep.  I  can't  go 
another  step." 

Cecil  was  also  weary,  and  very  much  discouraged. 
He  sat  down  against  a  tree  and  took  Lee  in  his  arms. 
She  was  asleep  in  a  moment,  her  head  comfortably 
nestled  into  his  shoulder. 

He  was  a  brave  boy,  but  during  the  two  hours  that 
Lee  slept  his  nerves  were  sorely  tried.  High  up,  in 
the  unseen  arbours  of  the  redwoods,  there  was  a  faint 
incessant  whisper:  the  sibilant  tongues  of  moisture 
among  the  brittle  leaves.  From  an  immeasurable 
distance  came  the  long,  low,  incessant  moan  of  the 
Farallones'  "syren."  There  was  no  other  sound.  If 
there  were  four-footed  creatures  in  the  forest  they 
slept.  Just  as  Cecil's  teeth  began  to  chatter,  whether 
from  cold  or  fear  he  did  not  care  to  scan,  Lee 
moved. 

"  Are  you  awake  ? "  he  asked  eagerly. 

Lee  sprang  to  her  feet.  "  I  did  n't  know  where  I 
was  for  a  minute.  Let 's  hurry  as  fast  as  we  can. 
Memmy  will  be  wild  —  she  might  be  dreadfully  ill 
with  fright " 

"  And  father 's  got  all  the  policemen  in  town  out 
after  me,"  said  Cecil  gloomily.  "  We  can't  hurry  or 
we'll  run  into  trees;  but  we  can  go  on."  In  a  few 
minutes  he  exclaimed :  "  I  say !  We  're  going  up 
hill,  and  it's  jolly  steep  too." 

"Well?" 

"  That  Italian  did  n't  say  anything  about  hills." 
3  33 


American  Wives 

"  Then  I  suppose  we  're  lost  again,"  said  Lee,  with 
that  resignation  so  exasperating  to  man. 

"  Well,  if  we  are  I  don't  see  who's  to  help  it  in  the 
fog  at  night  in  a  forest.  Perhaps  the  ferry  is  over 
the  hill,  and  as  this  is  the  only  path  we'll  have  to 
go  on." 

"  I  would  n't  mind  the  hill  being  perpendicular  if 
mem  my  was  at  the  top." 

Cecil  softened  at  once.  "  Don't  you  worry;  we  '11 
get  there  soon.  I  '11  get  behind  and  push  you." 

They  toiled  and  panted  up  the  hill,  which  grew 
into  a  mountain.  The  forest  dropped  behind  and  a 
low  dense  shrubbery  surrounded  them.  They  were 
obliged  to  rest  many  times,  and  once  they  ate  a  half 
dozen  crackers  Lee  found  in  her  pocket  and  were 
hungrier  thereafter.  But  they  forebore  to  discourse 
upon  their  various  afflictions ;  in  fact,  they  barely 
spoke  at  all.  Their  clothes  were  torn,  their  hats 
lost,  their  hands  and  faces  scratched.  When  they 
paused  to  rest  and  the  vague  disturbances  of  night 
smote  their  ears,  they  clung  together  and  were  glad 
to  hasten  on.  Lee  longed  to  cry,  but  panted  to  be 
a  heroine  in  Cecil's  eyes,  and  win  the  sweets  of 
masculine  approval;  and  Cecil,  whose  depression 
was  even  more  profound,  never  forgot  that  the 
glory  of  the  male  is  to  be  invincible  in  the  eyes 
of  the  female.  So  did  the  vanity  of  sex  mitigate  the 
terrors  of  night  and  desolation  and  the  things  that 
devour. 

The  fog  was  far  below  them,  an  ocean  of  froth, 
pierced  by  the  black  tips  of  the  redwoods.  On 
either  side  the  children  could  see  nothing  but  the 

34 


and  English  Husbands 

great  shoulders  of  the  mountain.  They  seemed 
climbing  to  the  vast  cold  glitter  above. 

Gradually  they  left  the  brush,  and  their  way  fell 
among  stones,  rocks,  and  huge  boulders.  Not  a 
shrub  grew  here,  not  a  blade  of  grass.  They  climbed 
on  for  a  time,  they  reached  level  ground,  then  the 
point  of  descent.  They  could  see  nothing  but  rocks, 
brush,  and  an  ocean  of  fog.  Their  courage  took 
note  of  its  limitations. 

"  I  'm  not  going  to  cry,"  said  Lee  sharply.  "  But 
I  think  we  'd  better  talk  till  the  sun  gets  up  and  that 
fog  melts.  Besides,  if  we  talk  we  won't  feel  so 
hungry.  Tell  me  that  thing  about  yourself — your 
father — I  suppose  you  can  trust  me  now?" 

"  We'  re  friends  for  life,  and  I  like  you  better  than 
my  chum.  You  're  a  brick.  Hold  up  your  right 
hand  and  swear  that  you  '11  never  tell." 

Lee  took  the  required  oath,  and  the  two  battered 
travellers  made  themselves  as  comfortable  as  they 
could  in  the  hollow  of  an  upright  rock. 

"  There  ain't  so  much  to  tell.  My  father  and  my 
stepmother  don't  hit  it  off — quarrel  all  the  time. 
But  my  stepmother  has  the  money  and  is  awfully 
keen  on  me,  so  they  live  together  usually.  Besides, 
until  two  years  ago  my  stepmother  thought  she  'd 
be  a  bigger  somebody,  and  my  father  thought  he  'd 
have  money  of  his  own  one  day  because  his  uncle 
was  old  and  had  never  married.  But  Uncle  Basil  — 
I  'm  named  for  him  —  married  two  years  ago  and  his 
wife  got  a  little  chap  right  off.  So  that  knocked 
my  father  out,  and  my  stepmother  was  just  like  a 
hornet.  I  love  her,  and  she 's  seldom  been  nasty  to 

35 


American  Wives 

me,  but  I  have  seen  her  so  that  when  you  spoke  to 
her  she  'd  scream  at  you ;  and  when  she 's  in  a  real 
nasty  temper  I  always  go  out.  Once  I  got  mad 
because  she  was  abusing  Uncle  Basil  —  I  always 
spent  my  vacations  at  Maundrell  Abbey,  and  he 
was  good  to  me  and  gave  me  a  gun  and  lots  of  tips 
—  and  I  told  her  she  was  nasty  to  abuse  him  and  I 
should  n't  like  her  unless  she  stopped.  Then  she 
cried  and  kissed  me  —  she 's  great  on  kissing — and 
said  she  loved  me  better  than  any  one  in  the  world, 
and  would  do  anything  I  wanted.  Did  I  tell  you 
she  is  an  American?  My  father  says  the  Americans 
are  very  excitable,  and  my  stepmother  is,  and  no 
mistake.  But  she  dotes  on  me  —  I  suppose  because 
she  has  n't  any  children  of  her  own,  and  no  one  else 
to  dote  on,  for  that  matter;  so  I  like  her,  whatever 
she  does. 

"  One  day,  she  and  my  father  got  into  a  terrible 
rage.  I  was  in  the  room,  but  they  did  n't  pay  any 
attention  to  me.  Father  wanted  a  lot  of  money,  and 
she  would  n't  give  it  to  him.  She  said  he  could  ask 
his  mother  to  pay  his  gambling  debts.  (Granny  has 
money  and  is  going  to  leave  me  some  of  it.)  He 
said  he  'd  asked  her  and  she  would  n't.  Granny 
and  father  don't  hit  it  off,  either,  only  granny  never 
quarrels  with  anybody.  Then  my  stepmother  —  her 
first  name's  Emily  and  I  call  her  Emmy — called 
him  dreadful  names,  and  said  she'd  leave  him  that 
minute  if  it  was  n't  for  me.  And  my  father  said  she 
was  the  greatest  snob  in  London  and  had  gone  off 
her  head  because  she'd  lost  her  hopes  of  a  title. 
Then  he  said  he  'd  get  even  with  her ;  he  could  n't 

36 


and  English  Husbands 

stay  in  London  any  longer,  so  he  'd  go  as  far  away 
from  her  as  he  could  get  and  then  she  'd  see  what 
her  position  amounted  to  without  him.  '  You  're  an 
outsider  —  you're  on  sufferance,'  he  said,  and  he 
went  out  and  banged  the  door.  She  went  off  into 
hysterics,  but  she  did  n't  think  he  'd  do  it.  He  did 
though.  He  bolted  the  next  day,  and  took  me  with 
him  to  spite  her  and  granny.  He's  always  been 
decent  to  me,  so  I  would  n't  mind,  only  I  'd  rather 
be  at  Eton.  He  came  here  because  it  would  n't  cost 
him  much  to  live,  and  he  's  keen  on  sport  and  knows 
some  Englishmen  that  have  ranches.  He  hopes 
Emmy  '11  repent,  but  she  has  n't  written  him  a  line. 
She  wrote  to  me,  and  sent  me  two  pounds,  but  she 
never  mentioned  his  name." 

"  Goodness,  gracious  !  "  exclaimed  Lee.  She  was 
deeply  disappointed  at  this  unromantic  chronicle. 
And  it  gave  all  her  preconceived  ideas  of  matrimony 
an  ugly  jar.  "  My  papa  and  mamma  were  just 
devoted  to  each  other,"  she  said.  "  It  must  be 
terrible  not  to  be." 

"  Oh,  I  expect  people  get  used  to  it.  And  there 
are  a  lot  of  other  things  to  think  about.  My  step 
mother  has  a  very  jolly  time,  and  father  does  n't 
come  home  very  much  when  we  are  in  London ;  and 
in  the  autumn  we  have  a  lot  of  people  in  the  house 
—  Emmy  rents  a  place  in  Hampshire." 

"  Then  your  father  is  n't  a  lord?  " 

"No;   Uncle  Basil  is." 

The  lord  in  the  family  was  the  only  redeeming 
feature  of  this  sordid  story;  he  gave  it  one  fiery 
touch  of  the  picturesque.  Suddenly  she  forgot  her 

37 


American  Wives 

disappointment,  and  patted  Cecil's  scratched  and 
grimy  ringers. 

"  You  have  n't  been  a  bit  happy,  like  other  little 
boys,  have  you?"  she  said,  "and  you  are  so  kind 
and  good.  I'm  sorry,  and  I  wish  you  could  live 
with  memmy  and  me." 

That  Cecil  loved  sympathy  there  could  be  no 
manner  of  doubt.  He  expanded  at  once  upon 
the  painful  subject,  consigning  the  devotion  of  his 
granny,  his  seven  aunts,  his  stepmother,  the  kind 
ness  of  his  uncle,  and  his  unfettered  summers,  to 
oblivion.  He  could  not  see  Lee's  face  in  the  shadow 
of  the  rock,  but  he  felt  the  tensity  of  her  mind,  con 
centrated  on  .himself.  They  forgot  their  anxious 
parents,  the  dark  clinging  night,  the  awful  silence, 
hunger  and  fatigue.  Lee  forgot  all  but  Cecil ;  Cecil 
forgot  all  but  himself.  When  he  had  exhausted  his 
resources,  Lee  cried : 

"  I  '11  always  like  you  better  than  any  one  else  in 
the  whole  world  except  memmy !  I  know  I  will !  I 
swear  I  will !  " 

41  Couldn't  you  like  me  better  than  your  mother?" 
he  asked  jealously. 

Lee  hesitated.  Her  youthful  bosom  was  agitated 
by  conflicting  emotions.  Feminine  subtlety  dictated 
her  answer. 

"  I  can't  tell  yet.  When  I  'm  a  big  grown-up 
person  I  '11  decide." 

"  What's  the  use  of  doing  anything  by  halves?  I 
don't.  I  like  you  better  than  anybody." 

"  I  '11  have  to  wait,"  firmly. 

"  Oh,  very  well,"  he  said  crossly.  "  Of  course,  if 
38 


and  English  Husbands 

I   knew    some    boys    here,    it  would  n't    matter    so 

much." 

"  Then  if  you  had  boys  to  play  with  you  would  n't 

love  me?     Oh,  you  unkind  cruel  boy !  " 

«  NO  —  you  know  what  I  mean ;  I  'd  like  you 
just  the  same,  but  I  shouldn't  need  you  so  much. 
There's  nothing  to  get  angry  about— Now?  — 
What?  — Oh!" 

For  Lee  was  weeping  bitterly. 

Cecil  suddenly  remembered  that  he  was  cold,  and 
hungry,  and  tired,  and  lost.  And  he  was  confronted 
with  a  scene.  What  Lee  was  crying  about  he  had 
but  a  vague  idea.  For  a  moment  he  contemplated  a 
hug,  —  on  general  principles,  —  but  remembered  in 
time  that  when  his  father  attempted  cajolement  his 
stepmother  always  wept  the  louder.  So  he  remarked 
with  the  nervous  haste  of  man  when  he  knows  that  he 
is  not  rising  to  the  occasion : 

"  We  '11  stay  here  till  morning  and  then  I  '11  take 
your  apron  off  and  put  it  on  the  top  of  a  long  stick 
and  somebody  '11  be  sure  to  see.  It 's  exactly  like 
being  shipwrecked." 

"  I  never  was  shipwrecked,"  sobbed  Lee ;  "  I  'm 
sure  I  should  n't  like  it." 

"We've  had  adventures,  anyhow,  and  that's  what 
you  wanted." 

"  I  don't  like  adventures.  They  're  not  very  inter 
esting,  and  I  'm  all  scratched  up,  and  hungry,  and 
tired." 

"  We  Ve  not  been  attacked  by  a  bear.  You  ought 
to  be  thankful  for  that." 

Lee,  who  would  have  been  comforted  at  once  by 
39 


American  Wives 

the  hug,  arose  with  dignity,  found  a  soft  spot  and 
composed  herself  to  sleep,  forlorn  and  dejected. 
Cecil  haughtily  extended  himself  where  he  was.  But 
he,  too,  was  sensible  of  a  weight  on  his  spirits,  which 
hunger,  nor  fatigue,  nor  cold,  nor  straits,  had  rolled 
there.  In  a  few  moments  he  took  off  his  jacket  and 
went  over  to  Lee  and  slipped  it  under  her  head. 
She  whisked  about  and  caught  his  head  in  her  arms, 
and  they  were  fast  asleep  in  an  instant. 


40 


and  English  Husbands 


LEE  awoke  first.  She  remembered  at  once  where 
she  was,  and  sat  up  with  a  sense  of  terror  she 
had  not  experienced  in  the  darkness  of  the  night. 
The  fog  was  gone,  the  sun  was  well  above  the  hori 
zon.  She  and  Cecil  were  alone  on  a  mountain  peak 
so  high  above  the  world  that  the  blue  depths  of 
space  seemed  nigher  than  the  planet  below.  The 
redwood  forest  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  looked 
like  brush ;  on  a  glassy  pond  were  hundreds  of  toy 
boats ;  beyond  was  a  toy  city  on  toy  hills.  Far  to 
the  South  another  solitary  peak  lifted  itself  into  the 
heavens,  dwarfing  the  mountain  ranges  about  it. 
Lee  glanced  to  the  left.  Nothing  there  but  peak 
after  peak  bristling  away  into  the  north,  black  and 
rigid  with  redwoods. 

But  it  was  not  the  stupendous  isolation  that  terri 
fied  Lee.  It  was  a  vague  menace  in  the  atmosphere 
about  her,  an  accentuated  stillness.  Over  the  scene 
was  a  grey  web,  so  delicate,  so  transparent,  that  it 
concealed  nothing.  Lee  rubbed  her  eyes  to  make 
sure  it  was  really  there.  It  might  have  been  the 
malignant  breath  of  the  evil  genius  of  California. 
As  she  gazed,  the  mist  slowly  cohered.  It  became 
an  almost  tangible  veil  through  which  San  Francisco 


American  Wives 

looked  the  phantom  of  a  city  long  since  sunken  to 
the  bed  of  the  Pacific.  The  sun  glared  through  it 
like  the  suspended  crater  of  an  angry  volcano.  The 
forests  on  the  mountain  all  at  once  seemed  dead. 
The  very  air  was  petrified.  The  silence  was  awful, 
appalling. 

Lee  caught  Cecil  by  the  shoulder  and  pulled  him 
upright. 

"  Something  terrible  is  going  to  happen,"  she 
gasped.  "  Oh,  I  wish  we  were  home !  I  wish  we 
were  home." 

Cecil  rubbed  his  eyes.  He  barely  grasped  the 
meaning  of  her  words.  There  was  a  dull  muffled 
roar,  which  seemed  to  spring  from  the  depths  of  the 
planet,  a  terrible  straining  and  rocking,  and  the  very 
heart  of  the  mountain  leaped  under  them. 

Cecil  saw  Lee  make  a  wild  dart  to  the  left.  Then 
he  was  conscious  of  nothing  but  a  rapid  descent 
amidst  a  hideous  clatter  of  rock,  and  the  sensation 
that  he  was  sliding  from  the  surface  of  the  earth  into 
space.  Down  he  went,  down,  down,  with  the  rumble 
below  and  the  roar  of  loosened  earth  and  rock  about 
him.  Inside  of  him  he  fancied  he  could  hear  the 
icicles  of  his  blood  rattle  against  each  other.  In  his 
skull  was  a  horrible  vacuum. 

The  slide  stopped  abruptly.  Cecil  looked  dully 
about  him,  wondering  why  the  still  trembling  rocks 
had  not  ground  him  to  pulp.  He  stumbled  to  his 
feet  mechanically,  worked  his  way  beyond  the  slide, 
then  climbed  toward  the  cone  from  which  he  had 
been  so  abruptly  evicted.  His  knowledge  of  what 
he  sought  was  very  vague,  a  primal  instinct.  Pres- 

42 


and  English  Husbands 

ently  he  saw  Lee  running  toward  him.     Behind  her 
was  a  man  in  the  rough  garb  of  a  mountaineer. 

"  It  was  an  earthquake,"  cried  Lee,  as  she  flung 
herself  into  Cecil's  arms,  "  and  he 's  going  to  take  us 
home." 


43 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  VII 

BETWEEN  a  night  of  maternal  agonies  and  an 
earthquake   which    wrenched    the   city    to    its 
foundations,  Mrs.  Tarleton's    spirit  was  very  nearly 
shaken  out  of  her  frail  body. 

Mr.  Maundrell,  after  despatching  two  detectives  in 
search  of  the  truants,  spent  the  greater  part  of  the 
night  pacing  up  and  down  the  upper  hall.  He  called 
upon  Mrs.  Tarleton  late  in  the  evening,  and  assured 
her  that  his  son  was  a  manly  little  chap,  and  would 
take  good  care  of  Lee.  As  the  night  waxed  he  called 
again.  Miss  Hayne  was  holding  salts  to  the  invalid's 
nostrils,  and  fanning  her.  Mrs.  Tarleton  implored 
him  to  remain  near  her;  he  was  so  cool  he  gave  her 
a  little  courage.  He  consented  hastily  and  retreated. 
When  the  earthquake  came  he  entered  Mrs.  Tarleton's 
room  unceremoniously  and  stood  by  her  bed,  throwing 
a  shawl  over  her  head  to  protect  it  from  falling  plaster. 
The  chandelier  leapt  from  side  to  side  like  a  circus 
girl  at  the  end  of  a  rope,  then  came  down  with  a 
crash  which  drew  an  exhausted  shriek  from  the  bed. 
The  wardrobe  walked  out  into  the  middle  of  the  room, 
the  pictures  sprang  from  the  walls.  Mrs.  Tarleton, 
stifled,  flung  the  shawl  from  her  head.  Mr.  Maundrell 
stood,  imperturbable,  beside  her,  a  monocle  in  his 
eye,  critically  regarding  the  evidences  of  California's 

44 


and  English  Husbands 

iniquity.  She  began  to  laugh  hysterically,  and  he 
fled  from  the  room  and  begged  Miss  Hayne  —  who 
had  rushed  out  shrieking  —  to  return. 

He  went  down  to  his  own  rooms.  It  was  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  People  in  various  stages  of 
undress  were  grouped  in  the  halls  volubly  giving  their 
experiences.  Not  a  woman  but  Mrs.  Hayne  had  a 
dress  on,  not  a  woman  had  her  hair  out  of  curl-papers. 
The  men  had  paused  long  enough  to  fling  on  dressing- 
gowns  and  blankets.  They  were  visibly  embarrassed. 

Three  hours  later  Mr.  Maundrell  was  in  his  sitting- 
room  reading  an  earthquake  "  extra."  The  door 
opened  and  a  small  boy,  with  a  cold  in  his  head, 
dirty,  ragged,  scratched,  and  apologetic,  entered  and 
awaited  his  doom.  Mr.  Maundrell  glanced  up.  Cecil 
shivered. 

"  Go  and  take  a  bath,"  said  his  father  curtly.  "  You 
are  positively  sickening.  And  kindly  do  not  bore 
me  with  your  adventures.  I  have  really  had  as  much 
as  I  can  stand." 


45 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  VIII 

LEE  went  neither  to  school  nor  to  her  meals  for 
a  week.  She  nursed  her  mother  with  the 
ardour  of  maternal  affection  and  remorse.  For  the 
first  two  days  Cecil  dared  not  approach  that  door ;  it 
seemed  written  large  with  his  misdoings.  On  the 
third  he  knocked  timidly,  then  put  his  hands  behind 
him. 

Lee  opened  the  door,  threw  back  her  head,  and 
half  closed  her  eyes  —  to  conceal  the  delight  in  them. 

"Well,"  she  said  freezingly.  "I  am  glad  to  see 
you  have  n't  forgotten  all  about  me  —  I  am  sure  I 
am!" 

Cecil  attempted  no  apology.  He  produced,  a  bag 
of  candy,  and  an  apple  nearly  as  big  as  his  head. 

"I  thought  you 'd  like  these  as  you  couldn't  go 
out  to  get  any,"  he  said  with  tact. 

Lee  almost  closed  her  eyes.  She  drew  back. 
"You  are  so  kind!"  she  said  sarcastically. 

Cecil  must  have  had  great  ancestors.  He  replied 
never  a  word.  He  stood  with  both  arms  outstretched, 
the  tempting  offerings  well  within  the  door,  and 
under  Lee's  very  nose. 

Her  eyes  slowly  opened.  The  corners  of  her 
mouth  invaded  her  cheeks.  Her  hands  rose  slowly, 

46 


and  English  Husbands 

fluttered   a   moment,    then   closed    firmly   over  the 
tributes  to  her  sex. 

"Won't  you  come  in?  "  she  asked  graciously. 

Cecil  promptly  closed  the  door  behind  him. 

"I'm  coming  every  afternoon  to  take  care  of 
your  mother,"  he  announced. 

"The  idea  of  a  boy  being  a  nurse,"  said  Lee 
disdainfully;  but  she  brought  her  lashes  together 
again. 

"  You  go  and  take  a  nap.  Which  medicine  does 
she  take  next  ?  " 

Lee  allowed  herself  to  be  overborne,  and  fell 
asleep.  Mrs.  Tarleton  opened  her  eyes  suddenly  to 
meet  a  hypnotic  stare.  Cecil  did  nothing  by  halves. 

Mrs.  Tarleton  smiled  faintly,  then  put  out  her 
hand  and  patted  his. 

"You  are  a  good  boy,  Cecil,"  she  said. 

The  good  boy  reddened  haughtily.  I  'm  not  try 
ing  to  be  thought  a  milksop,"  he  remarked. 

"  Oh,  •  I  know,  I  know !  I  mean  most  boys  are 
selfish.  I  knew  you  would  bring  Lee  safely  back. " 

"I  wouldn't  mind  if  you  said  you  forgave  me." 

"I  do.     I  do.     Only  please  don't  do  it  again." 

He  gave  her  the  medicine.  She  closed  her  eyes, 
but  he  saw  that  she  did  not  sleep.  Occasionally 
she  frowned  and  sighed  heavily.  Finally  she  opened 
her  eyes  again. 

"  I  wish  you  were  a  little  older,"  she  said  abruptly. 

He  sat  up  very  straight.  "I'm  quite  old,"  he 
said  thickly.  "I'm  much  older  than  Lee." 

"  I  mean  I  wish  you  were  really  grown  and  your 
own  master,  and  as  fond  of  Lee  as  you  are  now.  I 

47 


American  Wives 

must  die  soon;  I  had  hoped  to  live  until  Lee  was 
grown  and  married,  but  my  will  won't  last  me  much 
longer.  It  is  of  that  I  think  constantly  as  I  lie 
here,  not  of  my  pain." 

"I'll  marry  Lee  if  you  like,"  said  Cecil  oblig 
ingly.  "  I  like  her  very  much ;  it  would  suit  me 
jolly  well  to  have  her  in  England." 

Mrs.  Tarleton  raised  herself  on  her  arm.  Her 
thin  cheeks  fairly  expanded  with  the  colour  that  flew 
to  them.  The  boy  could  see  the  fluttering  of  her 
exhausted  heart. 

"Cecil,"  she  said  solemnly,  "promise  me  that  you 
will  marry  Lee.  I  am  a  good  judge  of  human  nature. 
I  know  that  you  would  be  kind  to  her.  I  know  of 
no  one  else  to  leave  her  to.  Promise  me." 

"I  promise,"  said  Cecil  promptly.  But  he  had  an 
odd  sensation  that  the  room  had  grown  suddenly 
smaller. 

"If  I  die  before  you  go,  take  her  with  you  if  your 
father  will  consent.  She  has  a  little  money  and 
will  not  be  a  burden.  If  your  father  won't  take  her 
come  back  for  her  when  you  are  of  age.  Remember 
that  you  have  given  your  solemn  promise  to  a  dying 
woman. " 

"Yes,  ma'am,"  said  Cecil  faintly.  He  was  young 
and  masculine  and  analytical ;  but  instinct  told  him 
that  Mrs.  Tarleton  was  unfair,  and  he  cooled  to  her, 
and  to  the  sex  through  her,  for  the  time  being.  He 
slipped  out  as  Lee  awoke. 

The  next  day  when  he  returned,  the  unpleasant 
sensations  induced  by  Mrs.  Tarleton  had  almost 
vanished.  On  the  fourth  day,  as  he  and  Lee  were 


and  English  Husbands 

sitting  before  the  fire  popping  corn  —  Mrs.  Tarleton's 
nerves  being  under  the  influence  of  morphine  —  Lee 
remarked  with  some  asperity : 

"I  wish  you  wouldn't  stare  at  me  so." 

"I  was  just  thinking,"  he  said.  "I  am  going  to 
be  your  husband,  you  know." 

"  What  ?  "  Lee  dropped  the  popper  into  the  fire. 
Her  head  went  back,  her  nostrils  out.  "Who  said 
you  were,  I  'd  like  to  know?  /didn't." 

"Your  mother  asked  me  to  marry  you,  and  I 
said  I  would.  So  I'm  going  to." 

The  American  girl  arose  in  her  wrath,  and 
stamped  her  foot. 

"The  very  idea!  Try  it,  will  you?  The  idea, 
the  idea  of  saying  you  're  going  to  marry  a  girl  just 
'cause  you  want  to!  —  without  asking  her!  I  just 
won't  marry  you  —  so  there ! " 

Young  Maundrell  rose  to  his  feet,  plunged  his 
hands  into  his  pockets  and  regarded  her  with  angry 
perplexity.  He  knew  what  he  would  have  done  had 
she  been  a  boy ;  he  would  have  thrashed  her.  But  a 
girl  was  a  deeper  problem  than  earthquakes.  He 
descended  to  diplomacy. 

"Of  course  I'll  ask  you  if  you  prefer  it  that 
way. " 

"You  just  bet  your  life  I  do." 

"  Well  —  "  He  got  very  red  and  trembled  all 
over.  He  threw  his  weight  first  on  one  foot  and 
then  on  the  other.  His  nails  clawed  at  his  trousers 
pockets. 

"Well?" 

"  Oh  —  ah  —  that  is  —  you  can  marry  me,  if  you 
4  49 


American  Wives 

like  —  Oh,  hang  it,  Lee!  I  don't  know  how  to 
propose.  I  feel  like  a  rotter." 

"  That  is  n't  the  way, "  said  Lee  icily.  She  hastily 
reviewed  her  glimpses  of  standard  works. 

"You  must  go  down  on  your  knees,"  she  added. 

"I  'd  see  myself  dead  sooner,"  cried  Cecil. 

"You  must." 

"I  won't." 

"Then  I  won't  marry  you." 

"I  don't  care  whether  you  do  or  not." 

"  But  you  promised ! " 

"I  'm  not  going  to  be  an  ass  if  I  did." 

Said  Lee  sweetly:  "I  don't  much  care  about  the 
going  down  on  the  knees  part.  I  'm  afraid  I  'd 
laugh.  Just  say,  'Will  you  marry  me?'1 

He  sulkily  repeated  the  formula. 

"Now  we're  engaged,"  said  Lee  complacently; 
"and  the  popper  's  burnt  up.  But  we  've  got  a  lot 
popped,  and  I  '11  make  a  syrup  and  stick  some 
together  into  a  nice  ball  for  you.  It 's  lovely  to  eat 
when  you  're  in  bed."  She  leaned  forward  and 
adjusted  his  agitated  necktie.  "  You  look  as  if  you 
just  owned  the  whole  world  when  you  get  mad,"  she 
said. 

And  the  male  ate  his  sweets  and  was  pacified. 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE  tide  in  Mrs.  Tarleton  rose  once  more;  on 
Monday  she  was  able  to  sit  up,  and  Cecil  took 
Lee  for  a  walk;  but  returned  betimes,  having 
received  a  brief  parental  admonition  that  if  he  did 
not,  he  'd  be  caned.  After  that,  they  explored 
Market  Street  every  afternoon,  and  on  Sunday  trotted 
off  to  church  together. 

On  the  following  afternoon,  as  Lee  was  walking 
down  the  hill  from  school,  she  saw  an  excited  group 
of  boys  in  the  street,  before  the  side  entrance  of 
Mrs.  Hayne's  boarding-house.  As  she  approached, 
she  inferred  that  two  were  fighting,  as  some  eight  or 
ten  others  were  cheering  and  betting. 

Lee  raised  herself  on  tiptoe  and  looked  over  the 
shoulder  of  a  short  boy.  The  belligerents  were 
Bertie  Reynolds  and  Cecil  Maundrell.  Her  first 
impulse  was  to  scream  —  an  impulse  which  she 
quickly  repressed.  Her  second  was  to  cheer  Cecil. 
This  she  also  repressed,  remembering  that  she  was 
a  girl,  or,  as  her  mother  would  have  put  it,  a 
Southerner. 

She  mounted  a  box  and  watched  the  battle,  her 
hands  clenched,  her  eyes  blazing,  her  heart  sick ;  for 
her  Cecil  was  getting  the  worst  of  it.  He  looked  as 
sturdy  as  a  little  oak,  and  he  planted  his  blows 


American  Wives 

scientifically;  but  his  antagonist  was  twice  his  size, 
lean  and  wiry,  and  full  of  nervous  fire.  Moreover, 
the  surrounding  influences  were  all  for  the  Ameri 
can  :  Cecil  was  not  only  English,  but  he  had  snubbed 
these  boys  of  Mrs.  Hayne's  boarding-house  for  three 
consecutive  weeks.  Vengeance  had  been  in  the  air 
for  some  time. 

The  boys  fought  like  young  savages.  Their  faces 
made  Lee  shudder  and  ponder.  But  that  impression 
passed,  for  there  was  worse  to  come.  Cecil  got  a 
huge  lump  over  his  right  eye.  Cecil  got  a  damaged 
nose.  Cecil's  immaculate  shirt  turned  an  angry 
scarlet.  Cecil  got  a  blow  under  his  jaw,  and  went 
down. 

Then  was  Lee's  opportunity.  She  leaped  from 
the  box,  straight  into  the  ring  —  which  was  giving 
unearthly  cat-calls  —  and  took  Cecil's  head  in  her 
arms. 

'  You  just  help  me  carry  him  inside,  you  horrid, 
hateful  bully,"  she  commanded  young  Reynolds. 
"Take  his  feet  — there!" 

The  national  instinct  prompted  obedience,  and 
Cecil  was  safely  deposited  on  the  lower  step  of  the 
side  entrance,  Reynolds  retiring  in  haste  before 
the  concentrated  fury  in  Lee's  eyes  and  teeth  and 
nails.  She  gathered  Cecil  into  her  bosom,  and  wept 
bitterly. 

"I  say!"  murmured  the  wounded  hero.  "Don't 
cry  I  I  'm  all  right.  I  've  got  a  beastly  headache, 
thai 'sail." 

"  Those  loathsome  boys !  "  sobbed  Lee. 

"Well,  they  know  I  can  fight,  if  I  did  n't  beat" 
52 


and  English  Husbands 

But  his  voice  was  thick,   and  there   was  no  pride 
about  him  anywhere. 

Lee's  tears  finished,  and  were  succeeded  by 
curiosity. 

"What  did  you  fight  about?"  she  asked,  drying 
her  eyes  on  her  ensanguined  pinafore. 

"  They  all  said  the  United  States  licked  England 
twice,  and  I  said  it  did  n't.  They  said  I  did  n't 
know  history,  and  I  —  well,  I  told  them  they  were 
liars,  and  that  Reynolds  offered  to  fight  for  the 
crowd,  and  we  fought." 

"Don't  get  excited,"  said  Lee  soothingly.  "Do 
you  think  you  can  walk  up  to  your  room?  You'll 
feel  better  if  you  lie  down,  and  I  can  do  a  lot  of 
things  for  you." 

He  got  to  his  feet,  climbed  wearily  to  his  room, 
and  flung  himself  on  the  bed.  Lee  was  in  her 
element.  She  sponged  him  off,  and  fetched  ice,  and 
bound  up  his  damaged  face.  She  felt  his  nose  to 
see  if  it  was  broken.  It  was  swelling  rapidly,  and 
he  shrieked  as  she  prodded  it.  Lee  wished  that  she 
did  not  feel  a  disposition  to  laugh,  but  her  hero 
certainly  looked  funny.  When  she  had  bound  two 
compresses  about  his  face  —  his  upper  lip  was  also 
cut  —  she  closed  the  inside  blinds,  and  sat  down 
beside  the  bed.  It  was  her  duty  to  go  to  her  mother, 
but  she  was  loath  to  leave  her  comrade. 

"Lee,"  said  a  stifled  voice,  "pull  off  my  boots." 

Lee  rose,  hesitated  a  moment,  then  removed  the 
boots,  and  threw  his  jacket  over  his  feet.  She 
walked  to  the  window,  peered  through  the  slats,  then 
returned  to  the  bed. 

53 


American  Wives 

"The  United  States  did  lick  England,"  she  said. 

Cecil  was  on  his  elbow  in  an  instant. 

"It  did  not,"  he  cried  hoarsely.  "If  you  were  a 
boy  I  'd  thrash  you." 

"  I  finished  United  States  history  last  term.  We 
licked  you  in  the  Revolution  and  in  1812." 

Cecil  was  erect  on  the  edge  of  his  bed,  glaring 
at  her  out  of  his  attenuated  eye,  over  the  rising  sun 
of  his  nose.  "I  tell  you  you  didn't,"  he  growled. 
And  his  bandages  slipped,  and  his  wounds  bled. 

Lee  flung  her  arms  about  him  in  an  agony  of 
remorse  and  pushed  him  back  among  the  pillows. 

"I'm  just  horrid,"  she  sobbed;  "I  don't  know 
why  I  said  that."  And  once  more  she  bathed  and 
bound  him. 

"Lee,"  whispered  a  weary  voice.  "Say  that  you 
didn't  lick  us." 

Lee  gave  him  a  little  hug.  "Of  course  not,"  she 
said,  as  to  a  sick  child;  "of  course  not." 


54 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  X 

IT  was  something  over  a  week  later  that  Lee  awoke 
suddenly  in  the  night  and  sat  erect,  with  stiffened 
muscles.  Her  skin  was  chilled  as  if  her  sleeping 
body  had  been  caught  in  a  current  of  night  air.  A 
taper  burned  in  a  cup  of  oil.  She  glanced  towards 
the  door.  It  was  closed.  Her  cot  was  in  a  corner, 
out  of  the  reach  of  window  draughts.  Her  shoulders 
approached  each  other.  Something  was  certainly 
wrong,  quite  different  from  the  usual  routine  of  night. 
The  taper  faintly  illumined  the  large  room  over 
which  her  expanding  eyes  roved.  A  red  light  flashed 
across  the  wall  like  a  scythe,  accompanied  by  the  dull 
grumble  of  the  cable  car.  Everything  in  the  room 
was  as  she  had  arranged  or  left  it  for  the  night.  Even 
the  flannel  petticoat  Mrs.  Tarleton  had  been  embroid 
ering  for  her  daughter  was  on  the  table  where  she 
had  dropped  it.  The  needle  stood  up  straight  and 
focussed  a  beam  of  light.  It  was  the  same  common 
place  comfortable  room,  with  whose  every  feature 
Lee  was  intimate;  yet  over  these  features  to-night 
rested  a  thin  film  of  something  unfamiliar. 

Lee  gave  way  to  unreasoning  terror.     "  Memmy !  " 
she  called,  "  memmy  !  " 

Mrs.  Tarleton  was  a  light  sleeper,  but  she  did  not 
answer. 

55 


American  Wives 

Lee  sprang  to  the  floor  and  ran  towards  her  mother's 
bed.  She  paused  within  a  foot  of  it,  her  knees  jerk 
ing.  Mrs.  Tarleton  lay  on  her  side,  her  face  to  the 
wall,  her  arm  along  the  counterpane.  In  both  arm 
and  hand  was  the  same  suggestion  of  unreality,  of 
change,  as  in  the  room. 

Lee  fled  out  into  the  hall  and  down  the  stairs  to 
Cecil's  room.  His  door  was  unlocked.  He  awak 
ened  to  find  himself  standing  on  his  feet,  striking  out 
furiously. 

"  It 's  only  me,"  gasped  Lee,  who  had  received  a 
smart  blow  in  the  shoulder.  "  Something 's  the 
matter  with  memmy.  Come  quick." 

"  All  right,  I  will.  You  stay  here  and  I  '11  go  into 
father's  room  and  dress." 

He  lifted  Lee  to  the  bed  and  went  into  the  next 
room.  Mr.  Maundrell  entered  a  moment  later  and 
lit  the  gas.  He  looked  keenly  at  Lee's  scared  white 
face,  then  went  out  by  the  hall  door.  He  did  not 
return  for  some  little  time.  When  he  did  he  met  his 
son  and  Lee  —  who  was  enveloped  in  Cecil's  over 
coat —  ascending  the  stairs.  He  turned  them  back. 

"  Mrs.  and  Miss  Hayne  are  with  your  mother,"  he 
said.  "  Get  into  Cecil's  bed  and  go  to  sleep.  I  will 
take  him  in  with  me." 

"  I  never  leave  memmy  to  other  people,"  faltered 
Lee;  and  then  she  put  her  hands  to  her  ears,  and 
shuddered,  and  crouched  against  Cecil.  "  I  can't 
sleep,"  she  gasped.  "  Don't  leave  me  alone." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mr.  Maundrell  hastily.  "  You 
go  into  the  sitting-room,  both  of  you.  Cecil,  you 
had  better  make  her  a  cup  of  tea." 

56 


and  English  Husbands 

Cecil  half  carried  Lee  into  the  sitting-room,  put 
her  on  the  sofa,  lit  all  the  burners,  and  fell  to  making 
tea  with  nervous  fingers  and  every  sign  of  deep 
embarrassment.  When  he  had  finished  he  walked 
rapidly  over  to  Lee,  jerked  her  upright,  and  held  the 
cup  to  her  lips. 

"  Drink  it !  "  he  said  in  his  most  peremptory  manner. 
Lee  gulped  it  down.  Cecil  returned  to  the  table, 
drank  a  large  measure,  then  went  back  to  Lee  and 
put  his  arms  about  her. 

"  Now,"  he  said  with  an  effort  which  brought  his 
brows  together  and  sent  the  blood  to  his  hair,  "  you 
can  cry  if  you  like." 

Lee  promptly  buried  her  head  in  his  bosom  and 
wept  wildly,  with  abrupt  and  terrible  insight.  Cecil 
could  think  of  nothing  to  say,  but  he  gathered  her  in 
and  gave  her  little  spasmodic  hugs.  He  felt  very 
much  like  crying  himself,  and  at  the  same  time  wished 
with  all  his  heart  that  it  were  three  days  later.  He 
concluded  that  a  girl  must  get  all  cried  out  in  that 
time. 


57 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XI 

ALL  of  Mrs.  Tarleton's  old  friends  sent  flowers, 
and  many  of  them  attended  the  funeral  ser 
vice,  which  took  place  in  the  death  chamber.  Mrs. 
Hayne  had  decided  that  a  church  funeral  would  be 
too  expensive,  and  her  boarders  would  have  objected 
to  the  association  of  a  coffin  with  the  back  parlour. 
Lee,  holding  Cecil's  hand  tightly,  sat  in  a  corner, 
looking  smaller  and  darker  than  ever  in  her  black 
frock,  the  novelty  of  which  had  mitigated  her  grief 
for  the  moment.  All  of  the  ladies  kissed  her  and 
told  her  that  she  must  be  sure  to  come  to  see  them ; 
and  Mrs.  Montgomery,  who  had  just  returned  from 
Europe,  and  was  very  much  agitated,  asked  her  to 
come  home  with  her  at  once.  But  Lee  only  shook 
her  head.  She  and  Cecil  had  other  plans. 

Her  cot  was  taken  into  Miss  Hayne' s  room  and 
she  went  to  school  as  usual.  Her  grief  waxed  rather 
than  waned,  and  she  stooped  so  that  Mrs.  Hayne  put 
her  into  braces,  which  confirmed  her  gloomy  views 
of  life.  But  her  woman's  instincts  were  very  keen, 
and  she  knew  that  if  she  was  to  have  the  solace  of 
Cecil's  companionship,  she  must  reserve  her  tears 
for  solitude.  He  was  very  kind,  and  informed  her 
that  he  loved  her  the  better  because  she  had  such  a 
jolly  lot  of  grit  and  kept  her  back  up  (Lee  had  not 

58 


and  English  Husbands 

mentioned  the  braces),  and  that  his  father  —  who 
hated  Americans  —  had  condescended  to  say  that 
Lee  was  a  jolly  little  thing,  and  had  more  character 
and  good  sense  at  the  age  of  eleven  than  his  own 
selection  had  accumulated  in  five-and-thirty  years. 

She  and  Cecil  took  many  long  walks,  and  rode 
back  and  forth  on  the  Oakland  and  Sausalito  boats, 
munching  molasses  candy;  Cecil  was  rapidly  falling 
a  victim  to  the  national  vice.  One  day  the  father 
and  son  took  her  to  the  country  on  a  fishing  expedi 
tion.  It  was  a  very  long  day,  and  it  was  very  hot. 
She  sat  on  the  bank  and  watched  the  others  fish. 
Their  concentration  amounted  to  genius,  and  except 
at  luncheon,  which  she  prepared,  they  never  addressed 
a  word  to  her.  She  had  never  seen  Mr.  Maundrell 
look  so  happy,  and  as  for  Cecil,  his  hazel  eyes 
sparkled  like  champagne.  In  spite  of  the  blue  sky, 
the  warm  sunshine,  the  beautiful  depths  of  the  red 
wood  forest,  the  singing  stream,  she  felt  lonely  and 
depressed,  and  went  home  with  a  sun-burned  nose, 
and  a  heart  full  of  those  obscure  forebodings  which 
assail  woman  when  man  forgets  the  lesson  of  civilisa 
tion  and  pays  a  brief  and  joyous  visit  to  the  plane  of 
his  sovereign  ancestors. 


59 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XII 

IT  was  about  a  month  after  Mrs.  Tarleton's  death 
that  Cecil  kicked  Lee  under  the  breakfast-table 
and  jerked  his  eyebrows  at  his  father,  who  sat  oppo 
site.  Mr.  Maundrell  was  reading  his  English  mail. 
His  pale  face  was  flushed.  His  impassive  features 
threatened  a  change  of  expression. 

That  afternoon,  as  Lee  was  returning  from  school, 
Cecil  met  her  half  way  up  the  hill. 

"My  uncle  Basil  and  the  little  chap  are  dead,  and 
father's  the  heir,"  he  announced. 

"Is  he  a  lord?  "  cried  Lee,  with  bated  breath. 

"Yes." 

Lee's  eyes  danced.     Romance  revived.     Care  fled. 

"A  duke?" 

"No,  an  earl." 

"Earl's   much   prettier  than   duke.      I   mean   a 
prettier  word." 

"He's  got  a  title  of  course.     He's  Lord  Barn- 
staple." 

"That 'snot  so  pretty." 

"I "  Cecil  thrust  his  hands  into  his  pockets 

and  turned  very  red.  "I  don't  mind  telling  you  — 
I  've  got  a  title  too  —  what  they  call  a  courtesy  title. 
You  see  my  father  's  the  Earl  of  Barnstaple  and 
Viscount  Maundrell.  So  I  'm  Lord  Maundrell.  I 

60 


and  English  Husbands 

shouldn't  think  of  mentioning  it  to  any  one  else," 
he  added  hastily. 

"  Cecil ! "  Lee  waved  her  arms  wildly  and  danced 
up  and  down.  "  I  never  heard  of  anything  so  lovely. 
I  feel  exactly  as  if  we  were  inside  Scott  or  Shake 
speare  or  something.  Shall  you  wear  a  crown  and  an 
ermine  robe? " 

"I'm  not  a  king,"  said  Cecil  loftily.  "Talk 
about  my  not  knowing  anything  about  United  States 
history!  You  Americans  are  so  funny.  Fancy  you 
caring  so  much  about  such  things."  His  tone  was 
almost  his  father's  upon  occasion. 

"Why  not?  The  idea!  I  think  it's  perfectly 
romantic  and  lovely  to  be  lords  and  ladies.  Whole 
shelves  full  of  books  have  been  written  about  them 
—  the  standard  works  of  fiction,  that  everybody  reads. 
And  plays,  and  ballads,  and  poems,  and  pictures 
too !  I  've  often  heard  my  mother  talk  about  it,  and 
I  used  to  read  the  descriptions  out  loud  to  her  in  the 
winter  —  she  said  it  would  form  my  taste  for  elegant 
literature.  I  could  just  see  the  whole  thing  —  the 
kings  and  dukes,  and  the  beautiful  processions,  and 
the  castles  and  tournaments,  and  princesses  and 
falcons.  Oh  my !  Of  course  I  care.  I  'd  be  a  silly 
little  ninny  if  I  did  n't  care.  I  just  wish  I  'd  been 
born  like  all  that.  I  'm  sure  there  's  nothing  very 
romantic  about  San  Francisco  —  particularly  Market 
Street." 

"Well,"  said  Cecil,  bringing  down  his  eyebrows 
and  consenting  to  establish  himself  at  Lee's  view 
point.  "You're  going  to  be  '  like  that.'  You're 
going  to  marry  me." 

61 


American  Wives 

Lee  stopped  short,  her  mouth  open.  "So  I  am," 
she  gasped.  "  So  I  am.  Could  we  be  married  right 
off,  do  you  think?  " 

Cecil  dropped  his  head  and  shook  it  gloomily. 
"I  had  a  talk  with  father  to-day;"  he  shivered  as 
he  recalled  that  conversation;  "and  he  says  he  won't 
take  you  back  with  us ;  that  he  likes  you  well  enough, 
but  one  American  in  the  family  is  as  much  as  he 
can  stand  —  and,  oh,  a  lot  of  rot.  We'll  have  to 
wait  till  I  grow  up,  and  then  I  '11  come  back  for  you, 
or  perhaps  some  one  will  bring  you  over." 

They  entered  the  side  door  of  the  boarding-house. 
Cecil  pulled  Lee  down  beside  him  on  the  stair. 

"Oh,  Lee,"  he  said  in  a  high  falsetto,  "we're 
going  to-morrow.  And  I  hate  to  go  away  and  leave 
you.  I  do !  I  do  !  " 

"Going  to-morrow!"  gasped  Lee,  "and  without 
me !  "  She  burst  into  a  storm  of  tears,  and  Cecil 
forgot  his  manly  pride  and  wept  too. 

"I  wish  I  were  grown,"  sobbed  Cecil.  "And  I 
won't  be  for  years.  I  've  got  to  finish  at  Eton,  and 
then  I  've  got  to  go  to  Oxford.  I  'm  only  fifteen 
and  one  month.  I  won't  be  my  own  master  for  six 
years,  and  I  won't  be  through  Oxford  when  I  am. 
It  takes  so  beastly  long  to  educate  a  fellow.  It  may 
be  eight  years  before  I  see  you  again." 

"  Eight  years !  I  shall  die.  Why  won't  he  take 
me  ?  I  can  pay  for  myself.  Mrs.  Hayne  says  I  have 
eighty  dollars  a  month.  Don't  you  think  he  '11 
change  his  mind?" 

"He  won't!  he  won't!" 

When  Lee  had  wept  herself  dry,  she  adjusted  her- 
62 


and  English  Husbands 

self  to  fate.     "Well,"  she  said,  with  a  heavy  sigh, 
"we  '11  write  every  week,  won't  we?  " 

It  was  Cecil's  turn  to  be  appalled.     This  was  a 
phase  of  the  tragedy  that  had  not  occurred  to  him. 
"Oh,  Lee,"  he  faltered,  "I  hate  to  write  letters!" 
"  But  you  will  ?  "  she  cried  shrilly.     "  You  will  ? " 
"Oh,  I'll  try !  I' 11  try!     But  only  one  a  month." 
"One  a  week  or  I  won't  write  at  all.     And  it 's 
nice  to  get  letters." 
" One  a  fortnight  then." 

To  this  Lee  finally  consented,  and  then  went  up 
stairs  and  helped  him  to  pack.  Their  faces  were  so 
funereal  at  dinner  that  they  were  the  subject  of  much 
good-natured  chaff.  Many  disapproving  glances  were 
directed  at  Mr.  Maundrell,  —  with  whose  ascent  they 
had  not  been  made  acquainted,  —  for  the  children 
had  furnished  the  house  with  much  amusement,  and 
they  commanded  no  little  sympathy. 

After  dinner  Cecil  and  Lee  sat  in  one  of  the  bay 
windows  in  the  front  parlour  and  talked  of  the 
future.  Cecil  good-naturedly  promised  that  life 
should  be  exactly  like  one  of  Scott's  novels,  any 
one  that  Lee  preferred.  After  some  excogitation 
she  concluded  that  she  liked  the  poems  best,  par 
ticularly  "  Marmion,"  and  Cecil  agreed  to  qualify  for 
the  part.  Lee  in  return  vowed  to  go  fishing  and 
shooting  with  him,  never  to  scream  at  the  wrong 
time,  even  if  a  blackbeetle  got  on  her,  and  never 
to  get  into  rages  and  call  him  names.  They  also 
exchanged  tokens.  Lee  gave  him  a  little  gold  heart 
with  her  picture  —  cut  from  a  tin-type  —  and  a  strand 
of  her  lank  hair  in  it,  and  he  gave  her  a  ring  cut 

63 


American  Wives 

with  the  arms  of  his  house,  and  begged  her  to  keep 
it  in  her  pocket  when  his  father  was  round. 

The  next  morning  Lee  was  graciously  permitted 
to  accompany  the  travellers  across  the  bay.  She 
and  Cecil  paced  up  and  down  the  deck  of  the  boat, 
too  excited  for  melancholy;  both  under  that  spell 
which  cauterises  so  many  wounds.  Lee  was  to  be 
left  behind,  but  she  was  in  the  midst  of  an  event. 
Moreover,  she  was  shortly  to  see  what  a  Pullman 
car  was  like.  She  wrung  one  more  solemn  promise 
from  Cecil  to  write. 

Lord  Barnstaple  had  taken  a  drawing-room  for 
himself  and  his  son,  and  Lee  examined  the  ornate 
interior  and  thought  it  very  vulgar. 

"You  '11  be  sure  not  to  put  your  head  out  of  the 
window,  won't  you,  Cecil  ?  "  she  asked  anxiously. 
"And  you'll  hold  on  tight  at  night  and  not  be 
pitched  out  of  these  things." 

Cecil  grunted.  She  had  hung  a  camphor  bag  on 
him,  and  presented  him  with  a  large  package  of 
cough  drops. 

Lord  Barnstaple  took  out  his  watch.  "  We  start 
in  eight  minutes,"  he  said.  "You  had  better  let 
me  put  you  in  the  hack;  I  have  told  the  man  to 
take  you  home."  He  paused  and  smiled  slightly. 
He  was  at  peace  with  the  world,  and  inclined  to 
be  gracious  to  everybody;  moreover,  there  was  just 
a  chance,  a  bare  chance,  that  this  boy-and-girl- 
affair  might  come  to  something.  His  son  had  a 
tenacious  will,  and  these  Americans  were  the  devil 
and  all  for  getting  their  own  way.  If  Lee  should 
turn  out  a  great  heiress  —  he  had  a  vague  idea  that 

64 


and  English  Husbands 

all  American  girls  became  heiresses  as  soon  as  they 
grew  up  —  and  should  fulfil  her  promise  of  even 
temper  and  sturdy  character,  Cecil  might,  of  course, 
do  worse.  Far  be  it  from  him  to  encourage  the 
invasion  of  the  British  aristocracy  by  the  undisci 
plined  American  female,  but  if  another  in  the 
family  was  to  be  his  unhappy  fate,  as  well  drop  into 
the  plastic  mind  a  few  seeds  from  the  gardens  of 
civilisation. 

"  We  may  see  you  in  England,  some  day, "  he  said ; 
"you  Americans  are  always  travelling.  Try  to  make 
yourself  like  English  girls.  Study  hard  and  improve 
your  mind.  A  smattering  is  such  a  trial;  it  rhymes 
with  chattering.  Don't  talk  too  much,  and  above 
all  never  have  hysterics.  I  am  sure  they  are  only 
a  habit  and  can  be  controlled  if  you  begin  early. 
And  —  ah  —  your  manners  are  somewhat  abrupt,  and 
you  have  a  way  of  sprawling.  Your  mother,  I  am 
told,  was  a  very  elegant  woman.  Try  to  grow  like 
her.  Mrs.  Hayne  says  it  is  likely  that  some  of  your 
mother's  friends  will  offer  you  a  home.  Accept,  by 
all  means ;  it  would  be  quite  dreadful  to  be  brought 
up  in  a  boarding-house.  I  believe  that  is  all.  Now 
say  good-bye." 

Cecil  gave  Lee  a  mighty  hug  and  winked  rapidly. 
Lord  Barnstaple  allowed  them  one  minute,  then  took 
Lee  firmly  by  the  hand  and  marched  her  to  the  hack. 

"Good-bye,"  he  said  kindly.  "You  are  a  jolly 
little  thing  —  you  don't  make  any  fuss.  Mind  you 
never  have  hysterics." 

But  Lee  cried  audibly  all  the  way  home,  secure  in 
the  pawing  of  the  horses  about  her  on  the  boat,  and 
5  65 


American  Wives 

in  the  noise  of  the  hack  on  the  cobble-stones  there 
after.  Cecil  was  gone,  and  there  was  no  mother 
awaiting  her  in  the  boarding-house.  She  could  not 
even  go  into  the  old  room  and  cry  on  her  mother's 
bed,  for  strangers  were  there.  She  was  very  forlorn, 
and  life  was  as  black  as  pitch. 


66 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XIII 

AFTER  several  weeks'  exchange  of  vague  sugges 
tions,  Mrs.  Montgomery,  Mrs.  Brannan,  Mrs. 
Geary,  and  Mrs.  Cartright  met  at  the  house  of  the 
former  to  discuss  the  future  of  Marguerite  Tarleton's 
child.  Mrs.  Cartright  was  the  aunt  of  Helena  Bel- 
mont,  whose  energies  were  bottled  for  the  moment 
in  school.  Mrs.  Montgomery  and  Mrs.  Brannan 
were  also  preparing  for  the  difficult  roles  of  mothers 
of  beauties.  Mrs.  Geary  was  a  degree  less  important, 
her  daughter  being  bright  rather  than  pretty.  Mrs. 
Cartright,  between  the  imperious  Helena  and  the 
incorrigible  Colonel,  her  brother,  over  whose  home 
she  had  presided  since  his  wife's  death,  had  long 
since  surrendered  what  little  character  she  had 
brought  to  California;  but  having  a  wide  popularity, 
and  a  mighty  flow  of  words,  was  never  absent  from 
the  counsels  of  her  friends.  Mrs.  Montgomery  was 
"  very  Southern,"  very  impulsive,  rather  prone  to  do 
the  wrong  thing  when  caught  in  the  cyclone  of  her 
emotions.  Mrs.  Brannan  was  merely  the  gorgeous 
Ila's  mother,  but  like  the  others  of  her  intimate  circle 
was  a  Southerner,  and  had  been  a  close  friend  of 
Marguerite  Tarleton.  Mrs.  Geary  was  the  practical 
wife  of  a  millionaire.  Her  husband,  a  man  from 

67 


American  Wives  „ 

Maine,  who  looked  not  unlike  a  dried  cod-fish,  had 
panned  for  gold  in  '49,  bought  varas  and  ranches 
in  the  Fifties,  became  a  banker  of  international  im 
portance  in  the  Sixties,  and  had  succeeded  in  making 
his  Southern  wife  as  close  and  practical  as  himself. 
Her  advice  was  always  in  demand  by  her  more  im 
petuous  friends. 

"  It 's  just  this,"  said  Mrs.  Cartright,  beginning  at 
once,  "  that  dear  child  cannot  be  brought  up  in  a 
boarding-house,  even  in  Mrs.  Hayne's.  Lee  is  a 
great-niece  or  second  cousin  of  General  Robert  E. 
Lee  and  third  cousin  of  the  Breckinridges,  and  Ran 
dolphs  and  Carrolls  and  Prestons,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  Tarletons.  As  long  as  poor  dear  proud 
Marguerite  lived  we  could  do  nothing,  but  now  Lee 
belongs  to  us,  particularly  as  dear  brother  Jack  and 
Mr.  Brannan  are  her  mother's  executors  and  Lee's 
guardians.  Now,  of  course,  I'  d  just  jump  at  the 
chance  of  taking  her,  if  it  were  not  for  darling  imperi 
ous  Helena.  She  will  be  home  in  a  year  now,  and 
if  they  did  n't  get  on  it  would  be  really  dreadful. 
Helena  is  really  the  most  kind-hearted  creature  in  the 
world  —  but  such  a  tyrant !  Her  will  has  never  been 
crossed,  you  see.  You  don't  know  what  I  go  through 
sometimes,  although  I  fairly  worship  her.  And  Lee, 
you  see,  has  simply  managed  poor  dear  Marguerite 
and  done  exactly  as  she  pleased  for  eleven  years. 
It  would  be  really  terrible  if  she  did  n't  give  in  to 
Helena,  and  I  'm  afraid  she  never  would.  And  it 
would  be  almost  cruel  to  bring  her  up  in  a  house 
where  she  would  have  almost  no  individuality,  al 
though,  of  course,  Helena  may  marry  at  once " 

68 


and  English  Husbands 

"How  much  income  has  she?"  interrupted  Mrs. 
Geary. 

"Eighty  dollars  a  month.  Isn't  it  shocking? 
Fancy  Hayward  Tarleton's  daughter  growing  up  on 
eighty  dollars  a  month !  " 

"It's  quite  enough  to  educate  and  dress  her,  and 
when  she  is  ready  to  come  out  we  can  each  give  her  a 
frock,  and  help  with  the  trousseau  when  she  marries." 

"  But  she  's  got  to  have  a  home,  meanwhile ;  that 's 
the  point,"  said  Mrs  Montgomery,  who  seemed  to  be 
repressing  her  own  eloquence,  as  great  upon  occa 
sion  as  Mrs.  Cartright's.  "  She  must  have  a  home 
and  a  mother,  poor  little  thing.  Think  if  it  were 
Tiny !  I  have  cried  myself  ill.  And  she  can't  grow 
up  from  pillar  to  post  either;  she  would  become  quite 
demoralised,  quite  unworthy  of  her  blood " 

"  The  very  oldest  families  of  the  South !  "  cried 
Mrs.  Cartright  with  enthusiasm. 

"  That 's  all  very  well,  but  I  can't  see  why  she 
should  n't  be  placed  at  Mill's  Seminary  for  the  next 
seven  years,"  said  Mrs.  Geary.  "  Of  course,  she 
could  spend  her  vacations  in  Menlo  with  us." 

Mrs.  Montgomery  shook  her  head  with  emphasis. 
"  She  must  have  a  home  !  She  must  have  a  mother ! 
She 's  full  of  feeling.  It  would  wound  and  demoralise 
her  to  feel  a  waif,  with  no  anchor,  no  one  in  particu 
lar  who  took  an  interest  in  her — it  is  too  terrible 
to  think  of!" 

"  It  comes  to  this  then,"  said  Mrs.  Geary :  "  one  of 
us  must  take  her." 

"  That  is  what  I  mean,"  said  Mrs.  Montgomery 
eagerly. 

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American  Wives 

"  If  it  were  not  for  Helena "  began  Mrs.  Cart- 
right,  ready  to  recapitulate.  Mrs.  Brannan  inter 
rupted  her  with  unusual  firmness. 

"  I  'm  afraid  I  cannot,"  she  said.  "  I  'd  really  love 
to,  and  she  would  be  such  company  for  Coralie ;  but 
Ila  is  so  exacting  and  jealous,  and  as  imperious  in 
her  quiet  way  as  Helena.  I  wait  on  her  like  a  slave, 
and  she  'd  fairly  hate  an  outsider  who  made  any 
claim  on  me.  Fortunately  Coralie  adores  her  and 
is  so  sweet.  It  was  all  I  could  do  to  persuade  Ila  to 
let  me  come  back  and  look  after  Mr.  Brannan  and 
Coralie  for  a  few  months  —  and  I  do  hate  Paris  !  I  '11 
do  everything  I  can  in  the  way  of  a  good  substantial 
present  at  Christmas,  and  she  and  Coralie  might 
study  together ;  that  would  save  a  little  on  both 
sides,  and  I  'm  sure  they  'd  get  on,  but  I  don't  dare 
risk  taking  her." 

"  Of  course  you  would  take  her  if  you  could,"  said 
Mrs.  Montgomery ;  "  we  all  know  how  good  and  kind 
you  are.  And  you,  Maria?  " 

Mrs.  Geary  shook  her  head  emphatically.  "  Mr. 
Geary  would  n't  listen  to  it  for  a  moment.  He  detests 
sentiment  and  everything  out  of  the  common,  and  he 
has  a  special  prejudice  against  adopting  other  people's 
children.  Besides,  as  you  know,  Marguerite  used  to 
snub  him,  as  she  did  all  Northerners,  and  he  's  not  the 
kind  that  ever  forgets.  No,  I  have  n't  even  thought 
of  it.  I'll  make  her  little  presents,  and  give  her  a 
party  dress  when  she 's  eighteen,  but  I  can't  do 
more." 

"  And  I  'm  afraid  to  venture,"  sighed  Mrs.  Cart- 
right,  "  but  Jack  will  do  something  handsome " 

70 


and  English  Husbands 

"  Then  it 's  settled,"  cried  Mrs.  Montgomery.  "  I 
am  to  have  her !  The  very  day  of  the  funeral  I 
begged  her  to  come  home  with  me,  but  she  wouldn't: 
she  thought  that  heartless  Englishman  would  take 
her,  poor  little  innocent  thing  —  but  Cecil  was  a  dear, 
quite  as  nice  as  any  Southern  lad  before  the  war. 
Well,  when  I  got  home,  I  reflected  that  perhaps  it 
was  as  well  that  Lee  had  refused,  as  I  have  made  so 
many  resolutions  to  consult  my  children  before  taking 
any  important  step  —  it  is  their  right.  I  thought  all 
night  and  finally  decided  that  it  did  not  concern  any 
one  but  Tiny  and  Randolph,  as  the  others  are  married. 
I  spoke  to  Randolph  the  next  morning,  and  he  said 
he  could  see  no  objection ;  he 's  sixteen  now,  and  so 
sensible ;  and  after  breakfast  I  wrote  a  letter  of  ten 
pages  to  Tiny  and  told  her  all  about  it,  and  how 
deeply  I  felt  on  the  subject,  and  dilated  upon  the 
brilliant  prospects  of  Lee's  babyhood,  and  the  distin 
guished  blood  in  her  veins  —  a  Tarleton  of  Louisiana! 
to  say  nothing  of  all  the  others  !  I  begged  her  to  think 
it  over  carefully  and  write  at  once  —  it  does  take  so 
long  to  get  an  answer  from  Paris !  I  told  her  I  would 
leave  it  entirely  to  her.  She  has  so  much  heart,  but 
her  head  is  far  cooler  than  mine.  Even  when  she  was 
a  child  I  respected  her  judgment,  and  she  quite  man 
aged  her  elder  sisters.  I  've  rarely  seen  her  excited. 
Well !  I  had  her  answer  this  morning.  That  is  the 
reason  I  asked  you  to  come  to-day  and  decide  once 
for  all.  She  is  so  sweet  and  sensible  about  it.  She 
began  by  saying  that  of  course  it  would  be  a  great 
risk  to  take  an  alien  into  the  family,  no  matter  how 
well  we  had  known  the  parents :  for  no  matter  how 


American  Wives 

many  different  characters  there  were  in  a  family  there 
was  always  a  sort  of  general  disposition  among  them 
that  carried  things  off.  And  we  were  all  so  devoted 
to  each  other,  and  so  happy  together.  It  would  be 
quite  terrible  if  Lee  should  turn  out  a  strong  indivi 
duality.  Therefore  she  begged  me  not  to  take  her 
unless  Mrs.  Tarleton's  other  friends  absolutely  refused 
to  do  so.  But  if  they  did  refuse,  then  I  must  not  hesi 
tate  —  I  must  take  her  by  all  means  and  make  her  as 
much  like  my  own  children  as  possible  —  after  all,  she 
was  only  eleven.  So  it 's  decided  !  She  's  mine ! " 

"  Tiny  certainly  has  a  level  head,"  said  Mrs.  Geary 
dryly.  "  And  I  really  don't  see  how  Lee  could  do 
better,  or  as  well,  if  you  really  care  to  take  her. 
You  will  see  that  her  manners  are  all  that  could  be 
desired,  and  that  nobody  ever  speaks  a  cross  word  to 
her ;  and  Tiny  will  see  that  you  do  not  spoil  her,  and 
that  she  acquires  the  family  disposition." 

"  You  dear  sarcastic  Maria !  You  know  you  'd  just 
love  to  spoil  her  yourself.  I  'm  so  happy.  I  haven't 
dared  go  to  see  her,  but  I've  sent  her  candy,  and 
fruit,  and  a  new  coat  and  hat.  I  '11  go  straight  away 
and  fetch  her." 

Thus  was  the  momentous  question  decided,  and 
Lee  entered  upon  the  third  chapter  of  her  life. 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THAT  same  day  she  was  installed  in  the  old 
Montgomery  house  on  Rincon  -Hill.  It  was 
a  low  irregularly  built  house,  wooden,  but  substantial. 
The  walls  of  the  lower  storey  were  panelled,  and 
covered  with  portraits  of  Southern  ancestors  and 
relations.  The  furniture  and  carpets  were  worn, 
but  as  both  had  been  bought  in  the  golden  days  of 
Mr.  Montgomery's  career,  before  he,  like  Hay  ward 
Tarleton,  had  speculated  and  lost,  they  were  of  the 
first  quality,  and  would  last  for  many  years  to  come. 
Moreover,  his  widow  had  picked  up  many  bibelots 
and  much  antique  furniture  in  Europe,  which  added 
to  the  reserved,  aristocratic,  and  un-Californian  at 
mosphere  of  the  house.  And  her  silver  and  crystal 
were  the  finest  in  San  Francisco. 

Mrs.  Montgomery  was  no  longer  wealthy,  but  she 
was  as  exclusive  as  in  the  Fifties,  when  exclusiveness 
meant  self-protection,  and,  if  not  a  social  power,  a 
person  whom  it  showed  a  proper  pride  to  know. 
Mr.  Montgomery  had  not  lost  his  entire  fortune,  by 
any  means,  and  what  his  wife  and  the  unmarried 
children  inherited  was  unencumbered.  It  was  also 
sufficient  to  enable  Mrs.  Montgomery  to  indulge  her 
passion  for  travelling,  to  educate  Tiny  in  Paris,  to 
give  Randolph  his  leisurely  choice  of  avocations,  to 

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American  Wives 

keep  up  the  Rincon  Hill  and  the  Menlo  Park  prop 
erty,  and  to  enable  the  family  generally  to  live  as  be 
came  one  of  the  "  old  families  of  California,"  i.  e.,  of 
the  early  Fifties. 

The  house  was  on  the  crest  of  the  hill,  and  com 
manded  a  fine  view  of  the  city  and  mountains  and 
water.  It  stood  in  a  dilapidated  high-walled  garden, 
full  of  the  Castilian  roses,  pinks,  gladiolus,  and 
fuchsias  of  the  older  time.  In  one  corner  was  a 
large  weeping-willow,  and  in  the  middle  the  remains 
of  a  stone  fountain.  The  hum  of  the  city  on  the 
plain,  and  on  the  heights  beyond,  never  reached  that 
quiet  old  garden,  which  symbolised  a  phase  of 
California's  life  already  remote. 

Lee  was  given  a  pretty  blue  bedroom  overlooking 
the  city,  and  found  her  new  life  very  pleasant,  albeit 
her  roving  propensities  could  no  longer  be  gratified. 
Mrs.  Montgomery,  indulgent  and  yielding  in  most 
things,  was  inexorable  on  all  points  of  deportment, 
and  gave  Lee  strict  orders  that  she  must  never  put 
her  foot  outside  the  gate  alone.  She  also  missed 
not  being  obliged  to  think  for  herself,  to  have  no 
responsibility  but  punctuality  at  meals;  even  her 
studies  were  over  for  the  summer.  But  she  was 
very  young;  the  artificial  habits  of  the  last  five 
years  fell  from  her,  and  the  instincts  of  her  nature 
reached  forth  to  the  conditions  which  had  been  hers 
during  her  earlier  years  and  her  mother's  before  her. 
She  was  never  quite  so  young  and  so  dependent  as 
other  children,  but  in  less  than  a  month  she  would 
have  shuddered  at  the  mere  mention  of  Market 
Street;  and  she  loved  the  repose  and  low-toned 

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and  English  Husbands 

richness  of  her  surroundings  after  the  clatter  and 
vulgarities  of  a  boarding-house.  She  still  mourned 
her  mother  with  sudden  childish  outbursts,  but  she 
enjoyed  the  unbroken  rest  of  her  nights,  and  felt 
strong  and  unfatigued  as  a  little  girl  should. 

Randolph  was  a  dark  handsome  boy  —  "  exactly  like 
his  father,  who  was  the  picture  of  his  grandfather, 
who  was  a  perfect  cavalier,  my  dear ! "  —  and  so  polite 
that  he  made  Lee  feel  like  a  Red  Indian.  When 
she  rose  to  leave  the  room  he  opened  the  door.  He 
never  sat  until  she  had  placed  herself,  and  he  rose 
when  she  rose,  ignoring  the  gulf  between  sixteen 
and  childhood.  He  was  always  on  hand  to  adjust 
her  cape,  and  his  attentions  at  table  were  really 
beautiful.  He  treated  his  mother  with  a  deference 
which  was  surely  Southern,  and  when  Lee  lamented 
that  she  was  "so  gawky,"  and  that  Lord  Barnstaple 
had  told  her  so,  he  assured  her  that  the  traditionally 
irreproachable  Tiny  had  been  quite  gauche  by  com 
parison  at  the  age  of  eleven.  After  that  compliment 
Lee  almost  wavered  in  her  allegiance  to  Cecil,  who 
doubtless  would  have  told  her  the  truth  and  asked 
her  why  she  bothered  about  "such  things."  But 
she  felt  that  she  certainly  was  improving,  with  her 
well-brushed  hair  in  a  tight  plait,  her  dainty  white 
frocks,  her  thin  boots,  and  hands  no  longer  dis 
coloured  by  liniments,  but  washed  in  bran  water 
and  manicured  once  a  week.  She  gave  strict  atten 
tion  to  her  poses,  and  forbade  her  legs  to  fly  up  and 
herself  to  bounce  down  on  the  edge  of  her  backbone. 
The  mere  fact  that  her  skirts  were  the  same  length 
all  round  made  her  feel  less  awkward. 

75 


American  Wives 

She  renewed  her  baby  acquaintance  with  Coral ie 
Brannan,  a  fair  delicate  child  who  promised  a  few 
years  of  ethereal  beauty  before  withering  like  a  hot 
house  plant  in  the  rude  winds  of  life.  She  was 
sweet  and  bright  and  adaptable,  and  adored  Lee  at 
once,  succumbing  to  the  stronger  nature,  but  com 
panionable  through  the  liveliness  of  her  mind.  Of 
course  she  was  permitted  to  read  Cecil's  letters; 
and  she  was  volubly  sympathetic  over  every  phase 
of  that  extraordinary  friendship. 

The  summer  months  were  passed  in  Menlo  Park, 
which,  although  it  boasted  a  village  and  a  very 
smart  railway  station  of  the  English  pattern,  was 
practically  a  collection  of  large  plain  substantial 
country  houses  with  deep  verandahs,  and  surrounded 
by  grounds  more  or  less  extensive.  These  were 
scattered  over  an  area  of  some  six  miles  in  the  great 
San  Mateo  Valley,  along  whose  western  rim  towered 
a  mountain  range  covered  with  redwood  forests. 
The  Montgomery,  Yorba,  Geary,  Belmont,  Brannan, 
Randolph,  Folsom,  and  Washington  estates  dated, 
in  their  present  sub-division,  from  the  early  Fifties : 
and  these  families  (not  all  of  whom  appear  in  this 
chronicle)  may  be  said,  for  want  of  a  better  term, 
to  have  represented  the  landed  aristocracy  of  Cali 
fornia's  second  era  —  counting  the  arcadian  episode 
of  the  Spaniards  as  the  first. 

Cecil  wrote  with  a  praiseworthy  attempt  at  regu 
larity.  He  had  returned  at  once  to  Eton  and  to 
cricket.  His  parents  were  living  in  comparative 
harmony,  and  his  stepmother  had  promised  him  a 
new  horse  and  a  boat.  His  letters  were  very  brief, 

76 


and  English  Husbands 

and  there  was  the  creak  of  protesting  machinery  in 
every  line,  but  he  rarely  failed  to  assure  Lee  that 
her  letters  were  "jolly,"  and  to  beg  her  to  be  faith 
ful,  as  he  did  so  love  to  get  mail. 

When  Lee  returned  to  town  in  the  autumn,  plump 
and  strong  and  pink,  she  settled  down  at  once  with 
Coralie  to  hard  study  under  private  tutors.  She 
was  not  only  to  be  "thoroughly  educated,"  but 
"highly  accomplished."  Her  studies  were  con 
ducted  entirely  in  French.  She  pounded  the  piano 
daily  until  her  back  ached,  covered  countless  pads 
with  birds  and  flowers  and  trees,  tinkled  the  guitar 
with  her  head  on  one  side,  attacked  the  German 
language,  and  took  three  dancing  lessons  a  week. 
These  studies  were  pursued  in  th£  old  schoolroom  at 
the  back  of  the  house,  where  there  was  always  a  big 
fire  roaring,  and  a  polished  floor.  Randolph  and 
Tom  Brannan  attended  the  dancing-class  when  at 
home,  and  bestowed  their  favours  impartially.  Tom 
was  fourteen,  a  round-faced  youth  with  a  large 
mouth,  an  amiable  temper,  and  an  inflammable 
heart.  He  sent  Lee  an  immense  package  of  peanuts 
the  day  after  he  met  her,  and  announced  himself 
violently  in  love.  Both  he  and  Randolph  danced 
to  perfection,  and  between  the  two  Lee  rapidly 
developed  the  inherent  grace  of  her  Creole  blood. 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER   XV 

HER  life  from  eleven  to  eighteen  was  very 
monotonous  and  very  happy.  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery  petted  and  indulged  her,  the  boys  were  her 
slaves,  and  assured  her,  every  time  they  came  home 
from  school,  and  later  from  their  whirl  at  College, 
that  she  was  growing  up  the  prettiest  girl  in  San 
Francisco.  After  Tiny's  return  from  Paris,  which 
was  shortly  after  Lee  entered  her  thirteenth  year, 
the  child  caught  little  glimpses  of  the  world  from 
her  secluded  tower.  Tiny  entered  society  at  once, 
and  was  as  much  of  a  belle  as  any  girl  so  constitu 
tionally  bored  and  indifferent  could  be.  But  her 
beauty  made  an  immediate  impression;  she  was 
much  entertained,  and  during  her  first  winter  the 
young  men  came  in  shoals  to  the  house  on  Rincon 
Hill.  She  was  very  small  and  marvellously  digni 
fied.  With  a  long  train  and  a  high  coiffure,  her  fine 
head  held  well  back,  emphasising  her  fine  aquiline 
profile,  she  actually  had  a  presence.  Her  hair  was 
soft  and  brown ;  her  brown  eyes,  under  their  level 
brows,  very  sweet  and  thoughtful ,  her  skin  had  the 
pure  cold  whiteness  of  the  camellia;  and  her 
admirers  swore  that  her  feet  and  hands  necessitated 
a  magnifying  glass.  She  was  thin  and  delicate,  but 
she  had  great  force  of  character  and  a  sweet  inflexi- 

78 


and  English  Husbands 

ble  will.  Lee  conceived  for  her  one  of  those  girlish 
adorations  peculiar  to  the  impulsive  and  imaginative 
of  her  sex,  and  quite  bitterly  resented  the  rival 
claims  to  belledom  of  the  overwhelming  Helena, 
the  sinuous  tropical  Ila,  the  clever  Miss  Geary,  and 
the  wealthy  Miss  Yorba.  When  Mrs.  Montgomery 
gave  a  party  she  was  permitted  to  contemplate  these 
radiant  beings  in  the  dressing-room,  and  preferred 
Miss  Yorba,  with  her  tragically  plain  face,  because 
she  was  the  only  one  who  ever  condescended  to 
notice  her.  Later,  when  she  was  supposed  to  be  in 
bed,  she  lay  prone  at  the  top  of  the  stairs  watching 
the  dancing  and  flirting.  In  summer,  she  saw  even 
more  of  the  mysterious  life  of  grown  people;  who 
appeared  to  live  on  the  verandahs,  and  had  many 
picnics.  When  she  was  sixteen,  men  began  to 
notice  her,  despite  Mrs.  Montgomery's  efforts  to 
keep  her  in  the  background  and  "  a  child  as  long  as 
possible."  But  Creole  blood  is  quick  and  magnetic, 
and  long  before  it  was  time  to  take  her  place  in 
society  it  was  prophesied  that  Lee  was  to  succeed 
that  famous  trio  of  belles,  Helena  Belmont,  Ila 
Brannan,  and  Tiny  Montgomery.  Her  own  imagin 
ings  on  the  subject  were  very  satisfactory,  but  she 
studied  hard  and  read  so  many  books  that  Tiny 
begged  her  to  be  careful  lest  she  be  thought  clever. 


79 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XVI 

CECIL,  some  five  months  after  his  eighteenth 
birthday,  went  up  to  Oxford  and  entered 
Balliol.  Here  he  gave  the  cold  shoulder  to  cricket, 
and  took  to  the  water  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  man 
who  has  the  honour  of  his  college  to  uphold  and  his 
blue  to  get.  He  also  took  more  kindly  to  corre 
spondence,  and  wrote  Lee  long  letters  on  the 
tendencies  of  modern  civilisation.  His  letters 
struck  his  friend,  used  to  the  lighter  mood  of  Mr. 
Montgomery  and  Mr.  Brannan,  as  decidedly  prig 
gish,  and  she  worried  over  the  development  not  a 
little,  — being  unaware  that  the  University  youth  of 
Great  Britain  must  take  priggishness  in  the  regular 
course  of  measles,  mumps,  whooping-cough,  Public 
School  wickedness,  the  overwhelming  discovery  of 
his  own  importance  as  an  atom  of  the  British 
Empire,  and  cynicism. 

During  the  second  term  he  became  profoundly 
and  theologically  religious,  and  Lee  wept  at  the 
prospect  of  being  a  parson's  wife  His  excursions 
into  the  vast  echoing  region  of  spiritual  mysteries 
nearly  addled  her  brains,  and  she  felt  quite  miser 
able  at  times  to  think  that  there  was  so  little  of  the 
old  Cecil  left.  But  during  the  spring  of  his  second 
year  there  seemed  to  be  a  healthy  reaction.  A 
letter  dated  from  Maundrell  Abbey  informed  Lee 
that  he  had  been  sent  down  for  breaking  windows 

80 


and  English  Husbands 

and  attempting  to  feed  a  bonfire  in  the  quadrangle 
with  an  objectionable  don.  He  further  confided 
that  upon  the  last  hilarious  night  before  his  exile  he 
had  been  discovered  by  a  good  Samaritan  at  the  foot 
of  his  stairs  calling  imperiously  upon  the  Almighty 
to  carry  him  up  to  his  room  and  put  him  to  bed. 

During  the  months  of  his  exile  he  travelled  on  the 
Continent.  His  letters  at  this  period  were  less  like 
essays  for  posterity,  and  much  of  his  old  self  flashed 
through  them.  When  he  returned  to  Oxford  in  the 
autumn  he  went  in  bitterly  for  politics,  announced 
himself  a  Liberal,  and  made  cutting  references  to 
the  House  of  Peers.  Indeed,  shortly  after  he  had 
been  elected  President  of  the  Union,  he  gave  full 
rein  to  his  eloquence  and  his  new-born  convictions, 
and  so  scathingly  and  vituperously  assailed  the 
entire  territorial  system  that  he  finished  in  a  perfect 
pandemonium  of  cheers  and  hisses,  and  was  pestered 
for  months  by  the  enterprising  Socialist.  During 
the  following  vacation  he  attempted  to  convert  his 
father,  who  was  a  blue-hot  Tory;  and  the  fixity  and 
bitterness  of  his  convictions  and  his  arrogant 
assumption  of  advanced  thinking  so  irritated  Lord 
Barnstaple  that  he  damned  his  offspring  for  a  prig ; 
forgetting  that  in  his  own  time  he  had  been  as 
pretty  a  prig  as  Oxford  had  ever  turned  out.  Cecil's 
keynote  at  this  time  —  frequently  quoted  to  Lee  — 
was  Matthew  Arnold's  unpleasant  arraignment  of 
their  common  country :  "  Our  world  of  an  aristocracy 
materialised  and  null,  a  middle  class  purblind  and 
hideous,  a  lower  class  crude  and  brutal."  Lord 
Maundrell  was  for  reforming  all  three.  Unlike  the 
6  81 


American  Wives 

great  poet  who  inspired  those  lines,  there  was  no 
danger  of  his  being  the  "passionate  and  dauntless 
soldier  of  a  forlorn  hope,  who,  ignorant  of  the  future, 
and  unconsoled  by  its  promises,  nevertheless  waged 
against  the  conservatism  of  the  old  impossible  world 
so  fiery  battle. "  To-day  the  future  was  quite  clear, 
that  is  to  say,  it  was  to  be  what  its  brilliant  and 
determined  youth  chose  to  make  it. 

Lee  thought  these  sentiments  simply  magnificent, 
and  expressed  her  approval  with  such  fire  and  enthu 
siasm  that  Cecil  wrote  with  increasing  frequency, 
and  assured  her  that  the  way  her  style  had  improved 
was  really  remarkable. 

During  his  last  year  his  fads  had  pretty  well  run 
their  course,  although  he  was  temporarily  interested 
in  "The  Influence  of  Zola  on  Modern  Thought,"  and 
bi-metallism.  But  his  ideals,  so  he  assured  Lee, 
were  leaving  him.  All  he  really  cared  for  in  life 
was  to  take  a  double  first  in  Greats  and  History,  and 
he  was  working  like  a  horse.  There  were  long 
intervals  between  his  letters,  and  when  he  wrote  it 
was  to  apologise  on  the  score  of  fatigue.  He  was 
"  dog  tired. "  So  were  all  the  men.  If  they  were  n't 
drivelling  idiots  when  the  thing  was  over  it  was 
because  nothing  could  really  knock  an  Englishman 
out.  Of  course  he  was  on  the  water  more  or  less, 
and  took  a  turn  every  day  at  cricket,  which  kept 
him  in  fair  condition,  although  he  was  far  from  fit. 
Meanwhile  Lee  was  to  pray  that  he  was  not  ploughed. 
He  liked  women  to  pray.  Religion  had  gone  with 
his  other  ideals,  but  it  was  a  beautiful  thing  in  a 
woman. 

82 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER   XVII 

A  RAILROAD  sliced  off  a  corner  of  Lee's 
ranch  and  paid  her  a  large  indemnity,  which 
was  invested  by  Mr.  Brannan  in  first  mortgages; 
and  an  earthquake  presented  another  section  of  the 
ranch  with  a  fine  assortment  of  mineral  springs 
warranted  to  cure  as  many  ills.  A  hotel  and  bath 
houses  were  promptly  erected,  and  a  heavy  patronage 
followed.  Mrs.  Montgomery  insisted  that  every 
detail  of  her  business  affairs  should  be  explained  to 
Lee  after  she  passed  her  sixteenth  birthday,  and  that 
upon  her  eighteenth  she  should  assume  the  entire 
control  of  her  property. 

"I  want  Lee  to  know  so  much  that  no  man  can 
cheat  her,  and  no  complication  take  her  unawares, " 
she  said,  in  a  memorable  interview  with  Mr.  Brannan, 
in  which  she  completely  routed  that  conservative 
person.  "  Look  at  the  women  in  this  town  who  were 
once  distinguished  members  of  society,  and  who  are 
now  getting  their  bread  Heaven  only  knows  how. 
Their  husbands  died  involved,  and  they  were  help 
less —  for  they  had  been  petted  dolls,  nothing  more." 

Lee  awoke  one  morning  and  found  herself  eighteen. 
It  was  very  early,  and  the  world  was  intensely  still. 
The  spring  birds  were  silent  in  the  willow,  the  stars 
burned  low. 

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American  Wives 

She  was  very  happy  and  very  expectant :  the  prin 
cess  was  to  come  down  from  her  tower  into  the  great 
hall  of  the  castle  and  take  part  in  the  beautiful  and 
mysterious  drama  called  Life.  She  was  quite  con 
vinced  that  not  in  the  whole  world  was  there  a  girl 
so  fortunate  as  herself.  She  was  lovely  to  look  at, 
her  manners  were  soft  and  convent-like:  even  the 
hypercritical  Mrs.  Montgomery  assured  her  that  they 
were  as  fine  as  those  of  the  women  who  had  been  the 
glory  of  their  country  before  the  war ;  and  her  in 
come  added  to  her  consequence  and  would  leave  no 
wish  she  could  think  of  ungratified.  She  was  de 
lighted  with  the  prospect  of  being  a  woman  of  affairs. 
She  felt  very  important  and  very  proud ;  and  as  the 
original  hotel  on  her  property  was  flimsy  and  hide 
ous,  she  and  Randolph,  who  was  an  architect,  had 
already  planned  a  new  one.  It  was  to  be  a  huge 
edifice  of  adobe  in  the  old  Californian  style,  with  a 
courtyard  full  of  palms,  and  a  fountain  tossing  the 
least  offensive  of  the  waters. 

Lee  thought  of  all  these  things  this  morning,  and 
of  more.  In  the  background  of  her  musings  there 
was  always  the  fairy  prince.  It  was  hard  work 
idealising  Cecil  in  the  light  of  his  Oxford  effusions, 
but  Lee  did  it;  he  was  seven  thousand  miles  away. 
And  he  belonged  to  the  land  of  poetry  and  romance, 
crusaders,  castles,  and  splendour;  he  would  be  the 
eighth  earl  and  the  eleventh  viscount  of  his  line,  and 
the  very  repairs  of  his  ancestral  home  were  older 
than  the  stars  on  her  flag.  Deep  in  her  imagination 
dwelt  an  ideal  Cecil,  a  superb  and  lovable  creature 
upon  whom  Oxford  had  never  breathed  her  blight, 

84 


and  English  Husbands 

with  whom  fads  had  never  tampered,  who  was  seri 
ous  only  when  in  love,  and  who  would  descend  upon 
her  like  a  god  and  bear  her  off  to  the  abbey  of  his 
fathers.  She  never  regretted  the  utter  absence  of 
sentiment  and  tenderness  in  Cecil's  letters;  it  would 
have  accorded  ill  with  Cecil  in  the  present  trying 
stages  of  his  development.  Cecil,  as  a  man  of  the 
world,  was  to  be  all  that  ever  sprang  from  the  fertile 
brain  of  a  romanticist.  He  would  not  condescend 
to  be  photographed,  but  he  could  not  fail  to  be  hand 
some,  and  she  could  only  pray  that  he  was  tall. 
She,  with  a  fine  instinct,  had  never  sent  him  her 
portrait,  nor  alluded  to  her  brilliant  prospects.  She 
wrote  of  her  daily  life,  of  the  books  she  read,  and 
of  himself,  and,  having  a  ready  pen  and  a  generous 
endowment  of  femininity,  never  failed  to  make  her 
letters  amusing.  She  wondered  if,  as  he  sauntered 
through  the  moonlit  gardens  of  Oxford  —  she,  too, 
had  read  Matthew  Arnold  —  or  rowed  alone  on  the 
Isis  at  night,  he  dreamed  tender  and  impassioned 
dreams  of  her.  If  he  did  he  gave  no  sign.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  was  never  the  flutter  of  a  petticoat 
in  his  letters.  She  had  asked  him  once  if  there  were 
no  girls  in  Oxford,  and  he  had  replied  that  he  had 
too  much  to  do  to  think  about  girls,  and  that  she  was 
the  only  one  he  could  ever  endure,  anyhow.  Those 
he  met  in  his  vacations  bored  him  to  extinction;  but 
he  liked  the  married  women,  and  intended  to  culti 
vate  them  one  of  these  days. 

Lee  yawned  and  sat  up  lazily.  It  was  her  duty  to 
take  another  nap,  for  she  was  to  go  to  her  first  ball 
to-night.  But  sleep  was  a  waste  of  time,  and  her 

85 


American  Wives 

first  day  of  young-ladyhood  should  be  as  long  as  pos 
sible.  Her  hair  was  braided.  She  shook  it  loose 
and  spread  it  about  her.  It  was  fine  and  soft,  and 
black  enough  to  be  sown  with  stars,  but  it  had  never 
a  wave  in  it.  She  took  a  hand-mirror  from  the  table 
beside  her  bed  and  regarded  herself  with  some 
approval.  Her  skin  was  very  white,  her  cheeks  and 
lips  were  pink,  her  light  blue  eyes  were  very  large 
and  very  radiant.  The  lashes  were  still  short,  but 
black  and  thick,  and  the  underlid  was  full.  The 
hair  grew  about  her  low  forehead  in  a  waving  line, 
and  her  eyebrows,  although  straight  and  heavy, 
seemed,  like  the  irregular  nose  and  mouth,  to  have 
been  made  for  her  face  alone.  The  short  nose  with 
its  slight  upward  slope  had  a  spirited  nostril;  what 
the  mouth  lacked  in  conventional  prettiness  it  made 
up  in  colour  and  curves ;  and  if  the  lower  part  of  her 
face  was  square,  few  took  note  of  the  lines  under  so 
much  beauty  of  texture.  She  knew  her  good  points 
perfectly — her  eyes,  complexion,  poise  of  head,  and 
length  of  limb  —  and  she  already  knew  how  to  make 
the  most  of  them. 

She  laughed,  stretched  herself,  and  slipped  to  the 
edge  of  her  bed,  where  she  sat  for  a  few  moments  in 
apparent  indecision.  The  truth  was  that  she  was  in 
no  haste  to  face  the  great  fact  of  life,  now  that  the 
door  stood  ajar.  Until  she  was  dressed  and  had 
gone  forth  into  those  parts  of  the  house  which  were 
not  her  own  exclusive  bower,  she  still  lingered  in 
the  period  of  dreams  and  anticipation,  and  it  was 
very  pleasant. 

She  thrust  her  feet  into  her  night  slippers,  wan- 
86 


and  English  Husbands 

dered  about  the  room  for  a  moment,  then  opened  a 
window  and  leaned  out.  The  perfume  of  roses  and 
violets  and  lilacs  came  up  to  her  from  the  old  gar 
den  below  and  from  many  another  about.  One  or 
two  of  these  gardens  she  had  full  view  of,  others 
showed  only  a  corner  in  the  triangle  of  crumbling 
walls  built  about  the  queer  old-fashioned  houses 
when  the  city  was  young.  At  this  early  hour  their 
secrets  seemed  whispering  along  the  eaves,  cowering 
in  the  dark  gardens,  ready  to  lift  their  heads  and 
laugh.  What  Lee  had  not  heard  of  the  ancient  his 
tory  of  San  Francisco  had  not  been  worth  repeating, 
for  Coralie  had  grown  up  with  her  elders  and  missed 
nothing.  In  South  Park,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  she 
could  see  the  chimneys  of  the  Randolph  House, 
whose  tragedy  seemed  separated  from  her  time  by  a 
dozen  generations;  so  rapid  had  been  the  evolution 
of  the  city,  so  furious  its  energies.  Beyond  lay  the 
plain  and  the  steep  hills  bristling  with  the  hives  of 
human  beings,  who  dreamed  of  gold,  and  the  loud 
peremptory  roar  of  Market  Street.  Telegraph  Hill, 
sharp  and  bare  and  brown,  passed  over  in  contempt 
by  the  dwellers  on  the  fashionable  heights,  its  sur 
face  broken  only  by  an  occasional  hovel,  looked  like 
an  equally  contemptuous  old  grandmother.  Far 
across  the  bay,  to  the  right  of  Rincon  Hill,  were 
the  pink  ranges  of  the  coast ;  at  the  other  end  of  the 
plain  the  brown  Twin  Peaks,  as  yet  unhonoured  by 
the  hideous  dwelling  of  rich  and  poor;  and  then  the 
slopes  of  Lone  Mountain,  its  white  slabs  and  vaults 
grey  in  the  dawn,  the  sharp  cone  with  its  Calvary 
behind  black  in  the  dull  void. 

87 


American  Wives 

• 

The  city  looked  grey  and  old,  as  if  the  gold  in  its 
veins  had  turned  to  lead  and  its  uneasy  head  were 
thick  with  ashes. 

It  was  the  first  time  in  many  years  that  Lee  had 
seen  San  Francisco  in  an  ugly  mood,  for  she  was 
not  given  to  early  rising.  She  had  found  it  beauti 
ful  from  her  eyrie,  with  its  brilliant  floods  of  winter 
and  spring  sunshine,  its  white  mist  robes  and  wild 
dust-cloak  of  summer.  She  had  almost  forgotten 
the  flare  and  glare  of  Market  Street;  and  she  had 
rarely  crossed  that  plain  since  her  mother's  death,  — 
never  except  in  the  seclusion  of  Mrs.  Montgomery's 
carriage.  She  had  as  seldom  entered  a  shop.  Her 
life  in  some  respects  had  been  almost  cloistered. 
To-day  all  was  to  be  changed.  She  should  never  go 
out  alone,  of  course,  but  she  was  no  longer  to  hold 
herself  aloof  from  the  details  of  life.  And  to-night 
she  was  to  go  to  her  first  party !  She  hardly  knew 
whether  she  was  glad  or  sorry. 

As  the  sun  rose  and  the  city  turned  pink,  and  a 
fine  white  mist  rode  in  and  hung  itself  about  the 
sparkling  windows  on  the  heights,  and  the  bay  deep 
ened  into  blue,  and  the  bare  peaks  looked  a  richer 
brown,  the  Contra  Costa  range  a  deeper  pink  patched 
with  blue,  the  darkness  of  night  lingering  only  in 
its  canons,  Lee  decided  that  she  was  glad.  The 
world  was  very  beautiful  out  there.  San  Francisco, 
clad  in  her  rosy  gown,  looked  like  the  Sleeping 
Princess  on  her  wedding-morn,  but  peaceful  and 
still  —  and  happy.  Lee  could  hardly  realise  that  it 
was  a  monster  with  a  million  nerves,  a  fevered 
brain,  its  tainted  blood  swarming  with  the  microbes 

88 


and  English  Husbands 

of  every  vice,  of  every  passion ;  raging  for  gold  and 
alcohol  with  a  thirst  that  never  slept;  a  monster 
that  had  killed  her  father  and  Mr.  Montgomery,  and 
Colonel  Belmont,  and  Mr.  Polk,  and  Don  Roberto 
Yorba,  and  countless  others  whose  families  were 
scattered  to  the  winds ;  that  it  had  in  its  records  as 
many  terrible  tragedies,  as  many  shameful  secrets  as 
it  had  nails  in  the  spires  of  its  churches.  Over 
there,  beyond  her  range  of  vision,  was  a  whole  city 
of  rottenness  in  which  she  would  never  set  her  foot, 
which  counted  as  nothing  in  her  carefully  guarded 
life,  and  yet  was  crowded  with  beings,  many  of  them 
young,  not  all  of  them  wholly  bad.  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery  would  not  have  a  newspaper  in  her  house, 
but  Lee  knew  that  horrid  and  picturesque  crimes 
were  not  infrequent  in  those  mysterious  regions 
known  as  Barbary  Coast,  Sailor  Town,  Spanish 
Town,  and  China  Town,  and  longed  for  details 
with  that  kindliness  for  sensation  inherent  in  the 
American  not  wholly  a  Southerner. 

But  what  she  could  see  was  beautiful.  She  smiled 
indulgently  into  the  face  of  that  great  Fact  out 
there.  For  Lee  was  a  dreamer  who  knew  that  she 
dreamed.  In  the  background,  ineffaced,  were  the 
hard  practical  years  of  her  youth;  surrounding  her 
was  the  lore  she  had  gathered  from  books  and  Coral ie ; 
to  say  nothing  of  the  intellectual  agonies  undergone 
at  the  hands  of  Lord  Maundrell,  and  the  observa 
tions  on  the  world  as  it  is  to  young  men  settling 
themselves  in  life,  with  which  she  had  been  favoured 
by  her  two  faithful  swains,  Randolph  and  Tom 
Brannan.  She  had  helped  them  both  to  choose 

89 


American  Wives 

their  careers.  Randolph  had  hovered  between  archi 
tecture  and  the  law,  and  Tom's  aspirations  were 
directed  equally  towards  ranching  in  a  cow-boy  out 
fit,  and  stockbrokering,  until  persuaded  by  Lee  that 
he  was  too  lazy  to  sit  a  horse  all  day  and  would  be 
useful  to  her  in  town. 

But  she  was  none  the  less  expectant,  demanded 
none  the  less  the  richest  and  most  picturesque  treas 
ures  of  life,  its  most  poignant  and  abiding  happi 
ness.  Beyond  those  hills,  beyond  the  grey  ocean, 
whose  roar  came  faintly  to  her,  was  the  fairy  prince 
— •  Cecil,  with  the  faint  musty  perfume  of  the  ages 
about  him,  and  the  owls  hooting  in  the  ruined 
cloisters  of  his  abbey. 


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and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

"  T    EE,  darling;  I  am  afraid  you  will  take  cold." 

JL^  Lee  whirled  about.  Tiny,  muffled  in  a  pink 
dressing-gown,  her  brown  hair  hanging  about  her 
lovely  imperturbable  face,  had  entered,  and  was 
smiling  at  the  dreamer. 

"  I  want  to  be  the  first  to  kiss  you,"  she  said.  Lee 
gave  her  an  enthusiastic  hug  and  swung  her  up  to 
the  table. 

Tiny  laughed  and  made  herself  comfortable. 
"You  look  for  all  the  world  like  a  long  white  lily 
in  your  night-gown,"  she  said;  "but  I  do  believe 
you  are  as  strong  as  Randolph." 

Lee  threw  herself  backward  until  her  finger-tips 
touched  the  floor,  then  writhed  her  slender  body 
until  she  looked  like  a  snake  uncoiling.  Tiny 
gasped. 

"  No  wonder  you  are  graceful, "  she  said.  "  Who 
taught  you  to  do  that  ?  " 

"  Want  to  see  me  kick  ?  " 

" No,  no,"  said  Tiny  hurriedly.  "  I  don't  think  it 
is  nice  to  kick,  dear.  But  I  am  not  going  to  scold 
you.  I  can't  realise  that  you  are  eighteen.  It 
makes  me  feel  a  grandmother — I  am  twenty-four." 

"  Why  don't  you  marry  ?  I  think  it  must  be  horrid 
to  be  an  old  maid." 

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American  Wives 

"How  horrid  si  you,  Lee.     I  'm  not  an  old  maid." 

"You  look  just  sixteen;  but  why  don't  you 
marry  ?  " 

"  Of  course  you  will  ask  till  you  find  out.  Well, 
Lee,  considering  that  you  are  really  grown-up  to 
day,  I  '11  tell  you  something.  I  'm  thinking  about 
it." 

Lee  gave  a  little  shriek  of  delight,  sat  down  on 
the  floor,  and  embraced  her  knees. 

"Quick!    Tell  me." 

"He  's  an  Englishman." 

"Tiny!" 

"  I  met  him  in  London  two  years  ago,  and  he  asked 
me  then;  but  I  couldn't  make  up  my  mind.  It's 
such  a  bore  making  up  one's  mind.  I  did  n't  bother 
much,  but  we  corresponded,  and  it  came  about  with 
less  trouble  than  I  thought  it  would:  I  wrote  him 
last  night  definitely.  He  has  been  so  faithful  — 
when  I  think  of  those  that  have  come  and  gone 
meanwhile!  —  and  he  really  is  very  nice.  Not  very 
amusing,  but,  enfin,  not  too  talkative." 

"What  is  his  name?" 

"Lord  Arrowmount. " 

"  That  makes  it  just  perfect !  " 

"I  wish  he  were  not.  It  will  be  such  a  bore  liv 
ing  up  to  things  one  wasn't  born  to.  And  after  the 
lazy  freedom  of  California!  When  I  was  in  London 
it  seemed  to  me  that  the  poor  women  were  worked 
to  death.  I  'd  far  rather  have  married  an  American 
—  if  it  were  a  mere  matter  of  nationality." 

"They  won't  make  you  do  anything  over  there 
that  you  don't  want  to,"  said  Lee  wisely.  "You 

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and  English  Husbands 

have  the  sweetest  little  face  and  the  softest  voice 
in  the  world,  but  the  cool  way  in  which  you  walk 
straight  at  what  you  want  —  it 's  too  clever ! " 

Tiny  laughed.  "  It 's  you  that  are  quite  too  fright 
fully  clever.  Be  careful,  dear,  that  you  don't  talk 
books  to  any  of  the  young  men  to-night." 

"  I  suppose  I  won't  have  any  one  to  talk  books 
with  till  Cecil  comes,"  said  Lee  with  some  vicious- 
ness.  "  Is  Lord  Arrowmount  clever  ?  " 

"  No,  thank  Heaven !  He  is  just  a  nice,  quiet, 
big,  kind  Englishman.  He  takes  photographs,  but 
I  don't  mind  that,  as  he  doesn't  talk  much  about  it; 
and  when  I  said  I  'd  rather  not  stand  in  the  broiling 
sun  with  my  eyes  puckered  up  for  ten  minutes  at  a 
time,  he  never  mentioned  it  again.  I  think  we 
shall  be  quite  happy.  Of  course  we  '11  come  back 
to  California  every  few  years,  or  mother  will  come 
to  us. " 

"Of  course.  So  shall  I.  I  never  could  leave 
California  for  very  long." 

"  Englishmen  are  not  so  easy  to  manage  as  Ameri 
can  men,  but  I  believe  that  as  soon  as  I  understand 
Arthur  I  shall  be  able  to  manage  him  quite  easily. 
I  should  simply  hate  it  if  he  were  always  contra 
dicting  me." 

"  He  won't.  I  don't  know  that  I  should  care  to 
manage  Cecil.  I  think  it  must  be  magnificent  to  be 
lorded  over  by  a  man  you  love ;  but  I  should  want 
my  own  way  all  the  same.  I  'd  storm  and  beg  and 
cajole,  and  then  of  course  I  'd  get  it." 

Tiny  laughed.  "  I  don't  know  much  about  English 
men,  but  I  think  you  know  less." 

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American  Wives 

"  But,  you  see,  I  shan't  meet  Cecil  again  for  several 
years,  and  by  that  time  I  shall  be  quite  experienced. 
Besides,  I  've  made  a  regular  study  of  Randolph  and 
Tom.  I  think  it  must  be  so  interesting  to  understand 
men  —  and  so  usefal." 

"  You  look  so  knowing  —  just  like  a  baby  owl." 

"  There  can't  be  such  an  extraordinary  amount  of 
difference,  considering  that  we  are  descended  from 
them  and  speak  the  same  language.  And  for  that 
matter,  I  'm  saturated  with  English  literature.  It 's 
the  only  one  I  know,  and  it  has  formed  my  mind. 
I  Ve  scarcely  read  an  American  novel,  and  never 
an  American  poem  —  is  there  one?  And  I  know 
English  history  backwards,  and  adore  it." 

"  All  the  same,  you  are  American  straight  into 
your  marrow,  and  I  feel  surer  and  surer,  the  more  I 
see  of  English  people  —  and  I  have  had  two  seasons 
and  one  autumn  in  England  —  that  there  are  no  two 
peoples  on  the  earth  so  unlike." 

"  Well,  I  think  it 's  very  strange,"  said  Lee  crossly. 
"  I  don't  understand  it  at  all." 

"  We  are  not  even  like  the  Americans  of  a  quarter 
of  a  century  ago.  Why  should  we  expect  to  be  like 
our  ancestors  of  several  centuries  back?  " 

"  Oh,  true,  I  suppose.  And  Cecil !  If  he  's  any 
thing  like  his  letters  he 's  certainly  not  much  like 
Randolph  and  Tom.  But  I  had  an  idea  he  was 
going  through  a  sort  of  freak  stage,  and  would 
be  just  like  other  men  (only  nicer)  when  he  got 
over  it." 

"There  are,  doubtless,  hundreds  like  him;  and  I 
wish  you  would  not  use  slang,  dear." 

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and  English  Husbands 

"  Well,  I  won't.     What  is  your  Arthur?  " 

"  A  baron  —  nothing  so  very  wonderful ;  but  he 
has  a  very  long  descent :  I  looked  it  out  in  Burke. 
And  at  least  I  am  not  buying  him.  He  knows  that 
I  have  very  little.  I  believe  he  is  wealthy.  He 's 
thirty-six;  a  very  good  age.  I  do  hate  boys." 

"Is  he  frightfully  in  love?" 

Tiny  nodded  and  blushed.  "  When  an  English 
man  falls  in  love — well!" 

Lee  jerked  her  knees  up  to  her  chin  and  gave  a 
gurgle  of  delight.  "  Are  you  in  love  with  him  ?  " 
she  asked  softly.  "  Do  tell  me,  Tiny?  " 

Tiny's  massive  dignity  relaxed  under  a  pink  flood. 
"  I  have  had  other  offers,  you  know,  and  some  from 
very  rich  men,"  she  said  as  she  slipped  to  the  floor, 
"  and  it 's  really  commonplace  nowadays  to  marry  a 
title.  Give  me  a  kiss,  and  tell  me  you  want  me  to  be 
happy,  and  I  '11  go  back  to  bed.  I  'm  cold." 


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American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XIX 

"  T  HAVE  taken  a  day  off  in  honour  of  the  great 
X  event,"  said  Randolph  at  the  breakfast  table. 
Lee  smiled  sweetly,  but  one  of  her  shoulders  gave 
an  impatient  little  jerk.  Randolph  had  proposed 
four  times  already,  since  his  return  from  Europe, 
three  weeks  ago.  Mrs.  Montgomery  smiled  approv 
ingly.  She  had  tolerated  the  correspondence  with 
Cecil  Maundrell  out  of  respect  to  the  wishes  of  the 
dead;  but  she  had  long  since  permitted  herself  to 
hope  that  the  ridiculous  boy-and-girl  engagement 
would  die  a  natural  death,  and  that  there  would  be 
one  change  the  less  in  her  happy  domestic  life.  She 
had  covered  the  table  with  wild  flowers,  sent  from 
Menlo,  in  honour  of  Lee's  birthday,  and  had  ordered 
three  different  varieties  of  hot  bread,  besides  the 
usual  meed  of  griddle  cakes,  chicken,  hash,  hominy 
and  eggs.  It  was  to  Lee's  happy  indifference  to  the 
popular  American  breakfast  that  she  owed  her  superb 
health  and  colour.  Tiny  looked  as  fragile  as  porce 
lain  beside  her;  and  even  Randolph,  although  he 
had  achieved  height  and  sinews,  had  the  dull  com 
plexion  and  thin  cheeks  of  the  American  who  adds 
the  tax  of  alcohol  and  late  hours  to  the  decimating 
national  diet.  He  was  by  no  means  dissipated,  for 

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and  English  Husbands 

San  Francisco ;  but  he  worked  very  hard  during  the 
day,  and,  when  free  of  the  social  claims  of  his  family 
—  to  whom  he  was  devoted  —  took  his  recreations 
with  other  youths  by  night.  He  had  left  college  at 
the  end  of  his  first  year,  studied  architecture  for  an 
other  year  in  New  York  and  Paris,  and  had  sold  his 
first  plan  —  for  a  Bonanza  king's  "palatial  residence  " 
on  Nob  Hill — three  months  later.  Since  then  he 
had  had  little  leisure,  and  had  made  money:  he  was 
practical,  with  a  zigzag  of  originality,  and  planned 
and  worked  with  marvellous  rapidity.  There  were 
lines  about  his  sharp  nervous  grey  eyes,  and,  six 
months  before,  he  had  broken  down,  and  gone  to 
England  to  rest,  and  visit  Lord  Arrowmount  His 
manners  were  not  what  they  had  been  in  his  remote 
boyhood,  but  they  were  still  fine,  and  he  had  a 
certain  distinction,  in  spite  of  a  slight  stoop  and  a 
decided  restlessness  of  manner. 

After  breakfast  he  followed  Lee  to  the  garden,  and 
they  sat  down  under  the  willow. 

"  Don't  propose  just  yet,"  said  Lee.  "  I  feel  in  a 
perfectly  beatific  humour,  and  I  would  n't  be  made 
cross  for  the  world." 

"Not  for  the  world,  if  you  don't  wish  it,"  said 
Randolph  airily.  "  I  will  postpone  it  until  to-morrow 
afternoon  at  six.  That  will  give  me  just  half-an-hour 
before  dinner." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  ever  are  really  serious.  You 
wouldn't  be  half  so  nice  if  you  were." 

"  It  is  difficult  to  be  serious  with  a  habit.  When 
ever  I  propose  I  have  a  sudden  vision  of  pinafores, 
and  braids,  and  angles.  It  takes  all  my  mental 

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American  Wives 

nimbleness  to  realise  that  you  are  really  marriage 
able  —  in  spite  of  your  beauty." 

He  spoke  in  his  usual  bantering  voice,  and  his  eyes 
smiled,  but  his  nervous  hands  were  pressed  hard 
against  each  other. 

Lee  saw  only  his  eyes.  She  smiled  saucily  and 
tossed  her  head.  "  I  'm  to  be  reckoned  with,"  she 
remarked.  "There  are  no  pinafores  on  my  plans  for 
the  season." 

Randolph  threw  back  his  head,  and  laughed  heartily. 
"  Perhaps  you  suspect  that  you  are  going  to  be  a 
great  belle  to-night,"  he  said  in  a  moment. 

"I?     O/i,  Randolph  !  how  can  you  be  sure?" 

"  The  men  have  planned  it  between  them.  Don't 
start  out  to-night  oppressed  with  any  doubts." 

Lee  clapped  her  hands.  Her  eyes  flashed  with 
delight. 

"Who?  Who?  Tell  me!  Of  course  it  was  you 
first  of  all." 

"You  may  be  sure  that  I  would  do  everything  I 
could  to  make  you  a  success;  and  so  would  Tom 
Brannan  and  Ned  Geary.  The  others  you  know  only 
by  name." 

"  I  suppose  Mr.  Geary  will  propose  to-night,"  said 
Lee  with  resignation.  "  I  am  used  to  you  and  Tom, 
but  when  the  others  begin  I  shall  really  be  quite 
frantic.  I  suppose  I  '11  have  to  tell  them  about 
Cecil " 

Randolph  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed  again, 
although  he  caught  in  his  under  lip.  "  Fancy  you 
marrying  a  little  tin  god  of  an  Englishman !  " 

"  That 's  enough !  " 

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and  English  Husbands 

"  I  beg  pardon.  Don't  singe  me  with  that  blue 
fire  of  yours,  and  I  won't  call  him  names.  But  you 
took  me  by  surprise.  I  thought  you  had  forgotten 
all  about  him." 

"  Why,  you  know  I  correspond  with  him." 

"  Do  you  still  —  really?  I  don't  know  that  I  am 
surprised,  however:  you  are  the  kindest  and  most 
unselfish  of  girls,  and  Englishmen  have  a  stolid  fashion 
of  plugging  away  at  anything  that  has  become  a 
habit." 

"  Cecil  is  not  stolid.  He  has  changed  his  mind 
fifty  times  about  other  things.  You  can  read  his 
letters  if  you  like." 

"  God  forbid  !  I  know  of  nothing  in  life  so  objec 
tionable  as  the  Oxford  prig.  But  you  don't  mean  to 
tell  me,  my  dearest  girl,  that  you  consider  yourself 
engaged  to  him?" 

"Of  course  I  do  !  " 

"  But,  Lee,  the  thing  is  a  farce.  You  were  chil 
dren.  And  you  have  not  seen  each  other  for  seven 
years.  When  you  meet  again  you  will  be  two  differ 
ent  beings ;  if  you  don't  detest  each  other  it  will 
be  a  miracle." 

"  We  shall  find  each  other  the  more  interesting ; 
and  people  don't  change  so  much  as  all  that." 

"  Am  I  what  I  was  at  sixteen?  Well,  let  that  point 
go.  You  have  n't  reflected,  perhaps,  that  there  would 
be  enormous  opposition  on  the  part  of  his  family. 
The  Maundrells  are  paupers.  Old  Lord  Barnstaple 
left  the  greater  part  of  his  private  fortune  to  his 
young  wife,  and  the  present  earl  soon  made  ducks 
and  drakes  of  the  rest.  Cecil  must  marry  a  fortune, 

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American  Wives 

and  yours  is  entirely  too  small ;  they  want  millions 
over  there.  Lady  Barnstaple  has  cut  into  her  capital 
trying  to  keep  up  with  smart  London.  She  is  simply 
mad  to  be  known  as  one  of  the  three  or  four  smartest 
women  in  society,  and  the  smartest  American;  and 
her  case  is  hopeless.  She  has  n't  money  enough,  she 
never  was  a  beauty,  and  now  is  nothing  but  an 
anxious-eyed  faded  pretty  woman ;  and  she  has  n't 
an  atom  of  personality.  I  was  in  the  same  house 
with  her  for  a  week." 

"  What  is  she  like  ?  "    Curiosity  routed  her  irritation. 

"A  bad  imitation  of  the  loud  English  type,  and 
fairly  exudes  larkiness  and  snobbery.  She  and 
Barnstaple  lead  a  cat-and-dog  life.  She  gives  him  im 
mense  sums  to  keep  him  from  leaving  her,  for  without 
him  she'd  drop  out;  she  has  no  real  hold.  When 
she  calls  him  a  cad,  he  calls  her  a  tuft-hunter,  a 
parvenu,  and  a  pushing  failure." 

"Who  was  she?     Cecil  never  told  me." 

"  Something  very  common  —  from  Chicago,  I 
think.  She  went  to  London  a  rich  widow,  but  with 
out  letters  to  the  other  Americans  in  power,  who  are 
mostly  New  Yorkers  with  a  proper  contempt  for  the 
aristocracy  of  wealth  in  its  first  generation.  She 
worked  the  Legation  to  some  extent,  and  managed 
a  few  easy  and  gluttonous  titles.  But  the  big  doors 
were  shut  in  her  face;  she  was  managing  herself 
badly,  she  had  picked  up  with  the  wrong  people,  and 
she  was  about  to  give  up  the  game  when  Maundrell 
and  his  debts  came  along.  They  flew  at  each  other; 
he  was  heir  presumptive  to  the  earldom  of  Barnstaple, 
and  his  uncle  was  old.  Maundrell's  first  wife  was  a 

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.    and  English  Husbands 

daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Beaumanoir,  a  beautiful  and 
charming  creature,  and  one  of  the  most  popular 
women  in  London  for  eight  years.  The  present 
owner  of  her  precious  husband  could  not  have  made 
a  worse  move  than  to  succeed  her.  Well,  to  return 
to  Cecil.  He  won't  have  a  penny  but  what  his  grand 
mother  and  stepmother  allow  him ;  and  what  he  may 
inherit  from  both  will  not  be  enough  to  keep  up  the 
title,  the  way  things  are  going  now.  Therefore,  he 
must  marry  money " 

"  Oh,  bother !     I  don't  want  to  hear  any  more." 
.     "  Answer  me  this —  if  Cecil  Maundrell  were  out  of 
the  question,  would  you  marry  me?" 

"  You  promised " 

"  Not  to  propose.  Fancy  a  man  proposing  at  this 
hour  in  the  morning,  and  after  eight  buckwheat  cakes  ! 
To  discuss  the  question  in  the  abstract  is  quite  another 
matter." 

"  I  don't  believe  I  could  ever  think  of  a  man  I  had 
grown  up  with  as  anything  but  a  brother." 

"  You  could  if  you  would.  It  is  merely  a  matter 
of  readjusting  yourself  mentally.  I  am  not  your 
brother;  I  have  hardly  seen  as  much  of  you  as  Tom 

Brannan   has;  and "he  hesitated  a  moment  — 

"you  do  not  know  me  half  so  well  as  you  think  you 
do." 

Lee  looked  at  him  with  a  flash  of  curiosity,  then 
she  lifted  her  chin.  "  You  want  to  intrigue  me,  as 
the  French  say.  But  I  am  not  so  easily  managed, 
I  know  you  quite  well." 

"You  think  I  could  never  be  really  serious,  I 
suppose." 

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American  Wives 

"  I  can't  imagine  any  man  I  ever  met  being  really 
serious.  And  you  are  much  nicer  as  you  are. 
Please  don't  try  to  be." 

"Why  do  you  suppose  I  am  working  like  a  dog?" 

"  To  get  rich  and  ahead  of  everybody  else,  of 
course.  You  want  to  be  an  architect  that  all  America 
talks  about,  and  to  make  stacks  and  stacks  of  money." 

"  You  are  right  as  far  as  you  go.  I  want  to  get  to 
the  top,  and  be  the  first  in  my  line,  and  I  must  have 
wealth ;  but  the  two  are  ashes  without  the  woman.  I 
not  only  love  you,  but  I  should  be  prouder  of  you 
than  of  anything  else  that  I  achieved.  If  I  made 
millions  you  could  spend  them,  and  the  more  you 
dazzled  the  eyes  of  the  world  the  better  I  should  like 
it.  You  should  never  have  a  duty  that  was  repugnant 
or  irritating  to  you,  and  never  a  wish  ungratified." 

"  Would  you  button  my  boots?  "  asked  Lee  merrily. 

"  Of  course  I  would." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  'd  have  time.  You  '11  never 
be  through  getting  rich,  if  you  are  like  the  other 
millionaires  of  San  Francisco.  Tom  says  they  work 
like  old  cart-horses  from  morning  till  night,  and  then 
die  in  harness." 

"  Every  man  with  energy  and  ambition  wants  to 
make  his  pile ;  and  then,  of  course,  when  a  man  has 
made  millions  he  must  Avatch  them  or  they  will  run 
away ;  but  I  should  always  know  that  you  were  there. 
That  would  satisfy  me." 

Lee  made  no  reply.  Her  lip  curled,  her  lashes 
approached  each  other,  and  she  looked  dreamily 
through  the  green  lattice  of  the  willow  to  the  moun 
tains  beyond  the  bay. 

102 


and  English  Husbands 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of  ? "  said  Randolph 
abruptly. 

"  I  want  more  than  that.  I  don't  care  for  enor 
mous  wealth,  and  I  have  n't  any  great  ambition  to 
dazzle  the  world  —  I  suppose  I  am  not  a  very  good 
American." 

"What  do  you  want?" 

She  turned  very  pink,  shook  her  head  shyly  and 
looked  down. 

"  You  fancy  you  will  find  it  with  an  Englishman,  I 
suppose — with  whom  you  would  be  a  sort  of  necessary 
virtue,  and  who  would  have  forgotten  after  three 
months  of  matrimony  whether  you  were  beautiful  or 
not." 

"  It  is  too  bad  of  you  to  have  such  a  poor  opinion 
of  Englishmen  when  Tiny  is  going  to  marry  one." 

"  I  wish  she  were  not,  although  Arrowmount  is  a 
first-rate  fellow,  and  I  like  him.  Besides,  it  is  quite 
another  matter  for  Tiny  to  marry  an  Englishman :  she 
has  the  adaptability  of  indifference,  and  she  is  a  born 
diplomatist  and  manager.  Southern  girls  are  not 
American  in  the  modern  sense,  and  when  they  are 
educated  in  Europe  they  practically  revert  to  the 
conditions  out  of  which  their  ancestors  came.  My 
mother  has  seen  to  it  that  Tiny  is  as  Southern  as  if 
she  had  never  set  foot  in  this  extraordinary  chaos 
called  California.  She  tried  it  on  me,  and  it  worked 
until  I  had  to  go  out  in  the  world  and  hustle.  She 
tried  it  on  you,  and  you  are  a  magnificent  compound 
of  the  South,  California,  and  yourself.  Before  you 
have  been  out  a  year  you  will  have  an  individuality 
as  pronounced  as  Helena  Belmont's ;  and  no  woman 

103 


American  Wives 

with  individuality  can  get  along  with  an  Englishman. 
For  the  American,  she  can't  have  too  much." 

"  Three  of  Tiny's  friends  are  married  to  English 
men,  and  they  get  on." 

"Which  is  another  point:  when  an  Englishman 
settles  down  in  California  he  sheds  a  part  of  his 
national  individuality  into  the  surroundings  he  loves. 
A  Californian  wife  is  part  of  the  scheme.  He  loves 
the  country  first,  and  the  woman  as  a  natural  se 
quence.  You  are  not  Tiny,  and  it  is  not  in  the  least 
likely  that  Cecil  Maundrell  will  settle  down  in  Cali 
fornia.  I  repeat  what  I  said  a  moment  ago,  and  I 
should  like  to  have  you  think  it  over:  as  my  wife 
you  would  be  a  queen ;  as  his  wife  you  would  be  a 
mere  annex  until  you  ceased  to  be  on  speaking 
terms " 

"Oh,  bother!  I  like  to  believe  that  everything 
in  the  world  is  beautiful,  and  I  'm  going  to  as  long 
as  I  can.  Go  and  get  the  plans  for  the  hotel,  and 
don't  talk  another  word  of  nonsense  to  me  to-day." 


104 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XX 

"  V7~ES,"  said  Tiny  to  Lee  that  night,  "you  are 
A        lovely — perfectly  lovely:  but  it  should  have 
been  white.     I  think  it  was  quite  weak  of  us  to  give 
way.     No  girl  ever  made  her  debut  in  black  before." 

"  That 's  why  I  wanted  to  —  that,  and  because  it 's 
so  becoming.  Why  should  I  wear  a  silly  little  white 
frock  just  because  it's  the  custom?  " 

"  The  more  you  make  yourself  like  other  people, 
dear,  the  easier  time  you  will  have  in  this  world." 

Lee  tossed  her  head.  "  I  'm  going  to  have  my 
own  way  in  my  own  way,"  she  announced. 

She  was  dressed  for  her  party,  in  black  gauze. 
Mrs.  Montgomery  had  wept  at  the  bare  suggestion. 
Tiny  had  expressed  herself  with  unusual  emphasis, 
and  Coralie,  who  expected  to  be  a  vision  in  white, 
had  remonstrated  until  Lee  had  fallen  asleep. 

Lee  had  an  instinct  for  dress.  She  knew  that  she 
would  look  superb  in  black,  and  merely  sweet  and 
pretty  in  white.  She  had  chosen  a  gauze  as  blue- 
black  as  her  hair,  and  ordered  it  to  be  made  with  a 
light  simplicity  which  increased  her  clean  length  of 
limb  and  threw  into  sharp  relief  the  dazzling  white 
of  her  skin.  She  wore  her  hair  brushed  away  from 
her  face  and  knotted  at  the  back  of  her  head. 

105 


American  Wives 

"  I  may  not  be  a  great  beauty,"  she  remarked, 
"but  I  am  stunning!" 

"You  are  a  symphony  in  black  and  blue;  and 
white  and  pink ;  your  eyes  are  so  very  blue  in  that 
dress,  and  your  hair,  and  brows,  and  lashes  seem  so 
much  blacker  than  usual  —  one  almost  forgets  even 
your  complexion.  You  are  despairingly  pretty." 

Tiny  looked  placidly  pretty  in  pink  and  white. 

"  Ah !  Well,  I  intend  to  be  thought  so,  whether 
I  am  or  not.  If  I  see  anybody  looking  at  me  as  if 
they  were  criticising  my  nose  and  mouth  I  '11  just 
blaze  my  eyes  at  them  and  walk  across  the  room." 

Tiny  laughed.  "  The  beauty  carriage  is  half  the 
battle.  I  Ve  seen  rather  plain  girls  carry  themselves 
as  if  they  were  satiated  with  admiration,  and  get  far 
more  than  some  modest  beauty." 

"  Youbetcherlife  —  I  beg  pardon,  Tiny;  I'll  never 
use  a  word  of  slang  again  —  I  vow  I  won't.  Is  it 
true  that  Englishwomen  use  a  lot  of  slang?" 

"  Smart  Englishwomen  have  an  absurd  fiction 
that  they  are  above  all  laws,  and  some  of  them  are 
as  vulgar  as  underbred  Americans  —  I  cannot  say 
more  than  that.  But  like  other  properly  bred 
Americans  —  Southerners,  I  mean,  of  course  —  I 
have  my  own  standards." 

"  But  if  you  do  not  adopt  their  argot  you  may  not 
get  on  over  there,"  said  Lee,  with  a  flash  of  insight. 

"  I  should  like  nothing  better  than  to  be  unpopular 
with  people  whose  manners  I  did  not  like,  and  whose 
race  for  amusement  bored  me.  They  can  think  me 
just  as  provincial  and  old-fashioned  as  they  like. 
There  are  always  charming  people  in  every  society. 

106 


and  English   Husbands 

The  thing  is  to  have  the  entree,  and  then  pick  and 
choose." 

"  I  shan't  care  at  all  about  society  when  I  'm 
married.  Cecil  and  I  will  be  frightfully  in  love, 
and  live  in  an  old  castle,  and  stay  out  all  day  on 
the  moors  and  in  the  woods,  and  climb  fells  and 
things." 

"  So  you  fancy  yourself  in  love  with  Cecil,"  re 
marked  Miss  Montgomery.  "  You  Ve  been  dream 
ing  about  him  all  these  years." 

Lee  turned  as  pink  as  one  of  the  Castilian  roses 
under  her  window.  She  had  been  imprudent  more 
than  once  to-day  and  betrayed  her  precious  secret. 

"Well  —  it  is  rather  romantic.  I  —  well,  you'd 
think  about  him  in  that  way,  too  —  you  know  you 
would." 

"  Not  if  I  had  been  obliged  to  read  his  letters. 
But  if  you  really  love  him  and  intend  to  marry  him, 
I  think  you  should  announce  the  engagement." 

"Well,  I'm  not  going  to  announce  it,  and  spoil 
all  my  fun.  An  engaged  girl  has  a  simply  dismal 
time." 

"But  it's  not  fair  to  other  men.  I  do  hope, 
dearest,  that  you  are  not  going  to  be  an  unprincipled 
flirt." 

"I  don't  care  a  bit  about  flirting  or  having  men 
fall  in  love  with  me.  I  only  want  to  have  a  good 
time.  If  I  see  any  man  fixing  to  fall  in  love  with 
me  —  I  beg  pardon  —  I  mean  showing  signs  of  it, 
I  '11  tell  him,  for  I  don't  want  to  hurt  anybody,  and 
I  'm  sure  it  must  be  horrid  to  see  men  look  serious 
and  glum.  But  I  do  want  to  be  the  belle  of  all  the 

'•7 


American  Wives 

parties,  and  have  flowers  sent  to  me,  and  get  nearly 
all  the  favours  at  the  germans.  Surely  I  have  a 
right  to  a  girl's  good  time." 

"You  certainly  have,  dear.  Why  not  break  the 
engagement  ?  Have  you  considered  that  it  is  hardly 
fair  to  Cecil  ?  " 

"What?"  Lee  whirled  about.  "Do  you  think 
he  would  wish  it  broken  off?  He's  never  even 
hinted  at  such  a  thing." 

"Of  course  not;  he's  too  honourable.  But  when 
you  are  a  year  older  you  will  write  and  tell  him  that 
you  no  longer  hold  him  to  a  childish  compact." 

"I  won't!  He's  mine,  and  I  '11  keep  him.  How 
can  you  be  so  cruel,  Tiny?  It 's  my  first  party,  and 
now  I  want  to  cry ! " 

"You  did  not  let  me  finish.  I  had  no  intention 
of  speaking  of  this  to-night,  and  I  would  not  spoil 
your  pleasure  for  the  world.  I  was  only  going  to 
say  that  a  year  from  now  you  will  feel  very  differ 
ently  about  everything.  You  will  have  seen  more 
of  the  world,  and  you  will  realise  the  difference 
between  fact  and  fancy." 

"All  the  same  I  won't  give  up  Cecil,"  said  Lee 
obstinately.  "  It  has  been  my  dearest  dream,  and  I 
won't  even  think  about  it 's  being  all  a  sham." 


IPS 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER   XXI 

BUT  a  year  later,  as   Tiny  had  predicted,    Lee 
wrote  to  Cecil  Maundrell  and  gave  him  his 
freedom. 

It  is  little  that  a  girl  learns  of  the  world  in  San 
Francisco :  where  the  home-bred  youths  are  a  re 
markable  compound  of  guile  and  ingenuousness, 
alcohol  and  tea-cakes,  and  where  the  more  highly- 
seasoned  Easterner  rarely  tarries.  But  that  little 
had  taught  Lee  several  things.  She  had  not  only 
been  the  belle  of  her  set,  but  her  charm  was  potent 
and  direct,  and  she  had  caught  more  than  one 
glimpse  of  the  passions  of  men.  Randolph's  had 
waxed  with  her  growing  consciousness  of  her  power, 
and  upon  two  memorable  occasions  the  fiery  impetu 
osity  of  his  Southern  blood  had  routed  his  practical 
Americanism,  his  aversion  to  gravity.  Tom  Brannan, 
whose  mouth  and  heart  grew  no  smaller  with  the 
years,  and  who  was  by  no  means  a  fool,  although 
somewhat  rattle-brained,  had  shown  himself  capable 
of  imbecility.  Ned  Geary,  clever,  versatile,  indo 
lent,  who  employed  his  larger  energies  in  protest 
against  his  father's  insistence  that  he  should  make 
money  instead  of  spending  it,  and  who  was  the 
uncertain  object  of  many  maidenly  hopes,  not  only 
proposed  regularly  to  Lee  by  word  and  letter,  but 

109 


American  Wives 

was  inspired  to  excellent  rhyme.  He  was  famed 
for  breaking  social  engagements  of  the  most  exact 
ing  nature,  and  was  at  pains  to  assure  Lee  that  the 
nice  precision  with  which  he  adjusted  his  pleasure 
to  his  politeness  whenever  herself  was  in  question 
was  the  signal  proof  of  the  depth  of  his  feelings. 
He  even  answered  Mrs.  Montgomery's  notes  when 
she  invited  him  to  dinner,  and  his  fair  gay  face  was 
never  absent  from  her  "evenings."  When  he 
pleaded  his  cause  that  face  became  an  angry  red, 
and  the  veins  stood  out  on  his  forehead,  but  Lee, 
who  was  very  observing,  noted  that  when  he  sang 
he  underwent  precisely  the  same  facial  changes  — 
contortions  she  phrased  it  —  and  refused  to  be  moved. 
Perhaps  she  was  a  trifle  heartless  at  this  period,  as 
all  girls  are  apt  to  be  in  the  first  flush  of  their 
triumphs,  when  the  love  of  men  is  flung  at  their  feet 
and  their  dearest  art  is  to  dodge  a  proposal.  Lee 
liked  both  Ned  and  Tom,  for  their  spirits  were  high 
and  they  were  very  good  fellows,  and  offered  them 
her  life-long  friendship.  For  Randolph  she  had 
much  placid  affection,  and  she  respected  him,  for 
he  had  brains  and  rather  more  knowledge  of  books 
than  the  average  of  his  kind ;  but  she  prayed  that 
he  would  transfer  his  affections  to  Coralie,  who 
secretly  pined  for  them. 

Between  the  three  she  arrived  at  the  knowledge 
that  men  were  practical  creatures  and  must  be 
treated  as  such,  not  as  dream-stuff. 

When  Lord  Arrowmount  arrived  she  applied 
herself  to  the  study  of  him,  but  she  ran  into 
impenetrable  dusk  some  few  inches  from  the  entrance 

no 


and  English  Husbands 

of  his  every  avenue  of  approach.  He  was  uniformly 
polite,  in  a  stiff  unself-conscious  way,  and  seemed 
kind,  and  sensible,  and  good,  but  he  barely  opened 
his  mouth.  Tiny  insisted  that  during  their  walks 
together  —  he  arrived  in  summer  —  he  delivered  him 
self  of  many  consecutive  sentences;  but  her  state 
ment  was  regarded  as  an  erratic  manifestation  of  the 
romantic  condition  of  her  affections.  Lee,  baffled 
at  all  other  points,  descended  to  pumping  his 
knowledge  of  the  Maundrells;  but  his  brief  com 
ments  that  "  Barnstaple  was  rather  mad,"  and  "  Lady 
Barnstaple  was  going  at  the  deuce  of  a  pace,"  summed 
up,  if  not  his  information,  at  least  his  communica 
tions.  Of  Cecil  he  had  never  heard.  When  she 
questioned  him  regarding  his  own  experience  at 
Oxford,  he  looked  blank,  and  replied  that  he  sup 
posed  it  had  been  the  usual  thing. 

It  seemed  incredible  that  Cecil  could  ever  develop 
into  an  artificially  animated  sarcophagus  of  Eng 
land's  greatness,  but  the  pink  atmosphere  of  her 
day-dreams  faded  to  ashes-of -roses ;  particularly  as 
Randolph,  who  had  spent  six  months  in  England, 
and  Ned  Geary,  who  had  spent  six  months  in  Europe, 
assured  her  that  Lord  Arrowmount  was  a  "type." 

After  the  wedding,  and  the  departure  of  the  Arrow- 
mounts,  she  strove  to  reconstruct  her  castles  and  re- 
suffuse  their  atmosphere.  But  her  intervals  for 
meditation  were  few ;  she  was  not  only  a  belle  sur 
rounded  by  admirers  and  friends,  but  business 
claimed  a  considerable  share  of  her  attention.  The 
new  hotel  was  almost  finished,  and  the  hungry 
energies  of  the  Press  had  found  it  and  its  young 

in 


American  Wives 

owner  so  picturesque  as  "copy,"  that  the  conse 
quent  boom  necessitated  two  extra  wings  and  another 
row  of  bath-houses.  Mrs.  Montgomery  was  horrified 
at  the  notoriety,  and  would  not  permit  Lee  to  be 
photographed,  lest  the  artist  should  weaken  under 
the  unholy  methods  of  the  Press ;  but  Lee  herself 
found  resignation  possible,  and  even  cherished  a 
private  gratitude  for  the  sensationalism  of  the  rival 
dailies;  her  income  was  doubled,  and  it  was  not 
unpleasant  to  be  a  personage. 

Altogether,  she  found  life  intensely  interesting, 
if  quite  unlike  the  dreams  of  a  less  practical  epoch ; 
and  although  she  wanted  nothing  on  earth  so  much 
as  to  marry  Cecil  Maundrell,  when  the  end  of  the 
year  came,  she  knew  that  it  was  her  duty  to  release 
him  from  a  boy's  chivalrous  promise  to  a  dying 
woman,  —  and  did  so. 

Cecil  was  in  his  last  year  of  infrequent  favours, 
studying  mightily  for  his  first;  but  his  reply  was 
prompt  enough,  and  of  unusual  length  for  this 
period.  There  was  a  good  deal  to  the  point,  and 
more  between  the  lines.  With  him  (haughtily)  a 
promise  was  a  promise;  he  had  never  given  a 
thought  to  release,  any  more  than  he  had  ever 
thought  twice  about  another  woman ;  he  had  taken 
it  for  granted,  of  course,  that  they  should  eventually 
marry;  and  if  she  stopped  writing  to  him  he  should 
feel  dismembered ;  forced  to  readjust  himself  when 
he  needed  all  his  faculties  for  the  honours  he  was 
determined  to  take ;  should,  in  fact,  feel  himself  full 
up  against  a  stone  wall,  bruised  and  blinking.  His 
similes  were  many  and  varied,  and  he  seemed  anxious 

112 


and  English  Husbands 

that  his  letter  should  do  equal  credit  to  his  princi 
ples  and  his  culture.  What  Lee  read  between  the 
lines  was  that  he  was  aghast,  that  he  had  practically 
forgotten  the  engagement ;  and  had  long  since  come 
to  regard  his  correspondent  as  a  sort  of  second  him 
self,  an  abstract  sympathy,  a  repository  of  his  corus 
cations,  a  sexless  confessor. 

Lee,  who  had  hastened  upstairs  to  read  the  letter 
in  her  virgin  bower,  hung  and  festooned  with  dream- 
memories  of  Cecil,  was  more  miserable  than  she  had 
been  since  the  death  of  her  mother,  and  cried  until 
nothing  was  visible  of  her  beautiful  eyes  but  a  row  of 
sharp  black  points  above  two  swollen  cheeks.  Her 
castles  rattled  about  her  ears,  and  were  possessed  of 
imps  who  laughed  the  tenacious  remnants  of  her 
dreams  to  death. 

When  the  fire  was  out  of  her  brain,  she  wrote  to 
Cecil  a  gay  matter-of-fact  letter,  insisting  upon  the 
end  of  the  engagement,  but  promising  to  write  as 
regularly  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

"  And  nothing  really  has,  you  know,"  she  added,  "except 
that  we  are  no  longer  babies.  You  are  thirty  years  older  — 
with  your  wonderful  Oxford  !  — than  the  little  boy  I  popped 
corn  with  and  sponged  after  a  fight  for  the  honour  of 
Britain ;  and  I  am  a  most  practical  person  with  not  an 
ounce  of  romance  in  me  "  —  (she  had  less  than  an  atom  at 
the  moment  of  writing)  —  "  and  quite  determined  to  make 
no  mistakes  with  my  life.  So  many  girls  do,  Cecil ;  you 
can't  think !  Four  of  the  girls  that  came  out  about  the 
same  time  as  Tiny  are  married  and  divorced.  It  seems  to 
me  quite  terrible  that  people  should  marry  in  that  reckless 
manner,  knowing  next  to  nothing  of  the  world  and  less  of 
8  113 


American  Wives 

each  other !  In  each  case  it  was  the  man's  fault  —  they 
usually  drank;  but  the  girls,  it  seems  to  me,  were  as 
much  to  blame  for  not  making  as  sure  as  one  can  that  the 
men  they  expected  to  live  their  lives  with  —  I  suppose  they 
did  —  had  character  and  principles  they  could  respect.  I 
have  been  brought  up  in  a  very  old-fashioned  way,  and 
nothing  would  induce  me  to  get  a  divorce,  so  I  shall  hesi 
tate  a  long  while  before  I  take  the  final  step.  Of  course 
you  will  not  misunderstand  me  —  we  are  such  firmly  knit 
friends  we  never  could  misunderstand  each  other,  I  think  — 
I  know  as  well  as  if  I  had  seen  you  every  day  for  the  last 
eight  years  that  you  would  never  give  any  woman  cause  for 
divorce ;  but  if  we  happened  to  have  different  tastes  in  all 
things,  we  should  be  just  as  unhappy  as  if  you  were  a  little 
Western  savage.  And  we  probably  have,  for  our  civilisations 
are  as  opposite  as  the  poles.  I  have  been  as  carefully 
reared  as  all  Californian  girls  of  my  class,  but  those  that 
know  me  best  tell  me  that  I  am  Californian  clear  into  my 
marrow ;  so  I  am,  doubtless,  as  little  like  an  English  girl  as 
if  I  were  a  Red  Indian.  But  what  is  the  use  of  all  this 
(attempted)  analysis?  Of  course  you  will  come  to  Cali 
fornia  to  see  me  one  of  these  days,  and  as  I  shall  not  marry 
for  years,  if  ever,  we  shall  meet  in  plenty  of  time  to  find  out 
whether  or  not  we  were  wise  to  break  our  engagement.  Mean 
while,  we  are  both  free.  I  insist  upon  that,  and,  you  know, 
I  always  would  have  my  own  way." 

Lee  was  extremely  proud  of  this  epistle,  particu 
larly  of  the  touch  about  racial  differences,  and  its 
general  essay-like  flavour ;  she  was  ambitious  to  stand 
well  with  so  terrible  an  intellect  as  Lord  Maundrell's. 
She  could  not  fascinate  him  across  seven  thousand 
miles  —  she  exchanged  a  glance  of  mysterious  con 
fidence  with  her  mirror,  her  nostrils  expanding 

114 


and  English  Husbands 

slightly  —  but  she  could  command  and  hold  his 
attention  until  those  seven  thousand  miles  were 
wrought  into  the  past  with  the  years  of  separation. 
She  glanced  at  her  mirror  again. 

His  second  reply  was  equally  prompt.  He  ac 
cepted  her  decree,  of  course.  She  had  exercised 
her  woman's  privilege,  and  he  was  bound  to  respect 
it;  but  he  held  her  to  her  promise  that  the  corre 
spondence  should  continue  exactly  as  before;  and, 
indeed,  after  the  first  two  paragraphs  of  his  letter, 
there  was  nothing  to  indicate  that  the  correspon 
dence  had  been  agitated  for  a  moment.  It  was  not 
exactly  relief  that  breathed  through  the  letter,  for 
Cecil's  mind  seemed  without  vulgarity;  but  the 
alacrity  with  which  he  took  up  the  broken  thread, 
after  having  tied  the  knot  with  a  double  loop,  made 
Lee  laugh  outright. 

"  He 's  really  wonderfully  decent,"  she  thought, 
"  considering  that  he  has  been  harrowed  for  a  month 
with  the  prospect  of  a  scrawny,  yellow,  and  lank- 
haired  wife.  What  a  fright  I  must  have  been  !  And, 
of  course,  he  has  that  tin-type.  Fate  would  never 
have  been  so  kind  as  to  let  him  lose  it !  " 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XXII 

CECIL  finished  his  Oxford  epoch,  taking  his 
double  first  and  crowning  his  athletic  career 
as  stroke  of  his  college  eight.  He  wrote  to  Lee  that 
he  was  a  wreck  mentally,  and  was  going  on  a  tour 
round  the  world  to  shoot  big  game;  he  should 
eventually  land  in  California,  where  he  expected  she 
would  have  a  grizzly  for  him.  He  hoped  for  tigers 
in  India,  lions  and  elephants  in  Africa,  and  buffalo  in 
the  "  Western  "  United  States.  He  should  also  take 
a  run  through  South  America.  When  he  had  finished 
with  the  grizzly,  he  should  feel  a  man  once  more,  not 
a  worn-out  intellect. 

"  It  would  be  quite  dreadful  not  to  have  gone  through 
Oxford,"  he  confessed,  "  for  nothing  else  moulds  a  man's 
brain  into  shape  —  if  he  's  got  one.  How  odd  and  un 
finished  your  American  men  must  be  !  I  understand  that  few 
of  those  who  go  to  the  Universities  take  the  whole  course 
—  which  is  a  kindergarten  compared  to  ours  —  and  that 
the  majority  scorn  education  after  eighteen ;  but  I  am  more 
than  willing  to  forget  all  I  ever  knew  for  at  least  two  years. 
After  that,  of  course,  I  shall  think  seriously  of  what  I  am 
to  do  with  my  life.  I  did  not  tell  you,  I  think,  that  my 
grandmother  is  dead,  and  that  I  am  not  quite  a  pauper. 
I  feel  reasonably  sure  that  the  political  life  will  be  my 
choice,  and  I  shall  manage  to  learn  something  of  each  of 
our  colonies  that  I  visit." 

116 


and  English  Husbands 

Lee  understood  Ned  Geary,  Tom  Brannan  and 
more  than  one  other  of  the  men  who  had  given  her 
opportunity  to  study  them.  At  times  she  was  sure 
that  she  knew  Randolph,  leaf  by  leaf.  The  habit  in 
which  the  average  American  lives  may  be  said  to  be 
an  illuminated  manuscript  of  himself,  profusely  illus 
trated  with  drawings  by  the  author.  When  he  is  not 
disclosing  his  inmost  mind,  he  is  criticising  life, 
within  the  narrow  horizon  of  his  experience,  from 
the  personal  view-point ;  which  reflections  are  as  self- 
revealing  as  annotations  by  the  ambitious  editor  of  a 
great  poet.  There  was  no  mystery  about  any  of  them 
for  Lee,  and,  like  all  bright  imaginative  girls,  she 
loved  mystery.  She  felt  that  it  would  be  long  before 
she  could  understand  the  least  of  Cecil,  particularly 
if  he  was  anything  like  Lord  Arrowmount.  It  is  true 
that  he  had  often  written  at  great  length,  and  by  no 
means  ignored  the  sacred  subject  of  himself;  but 
there  was  always  a  magnificent  reach  about  Cecil, 
and  a  corresponding  lack  of  ingenuousness. 

She  wondered  if  she  had  given  him  the  same  sug 
gestion  of  a  complex  mind  and  nature,  and  one  day 
re-read  his  letters.  The  first  fifteen  or  twenty  con 
tained  references  to  the  episodes  of  their  brief 
companionship.  Later,  these  episodes  seemed  quite 
forgotten.  And  he  not  only  demanded  no  return  of 
confidences,  he  evinced  no  curiosity.  In  all  his 
letters  there  was  not  a  reference  to  her  inner  life. 
Occasionally  he  asked  what  she  was  reading,  and 
if  she  were  happy  in  her  new  home ;  that  was  all. 

"  How  is  one  to  prepare  oneself  for  such  a  man 
as  that?"  thought  Lee.  "What  does  he  want?  An 

117 


American  Wives 

ear  —  nothing  more?  He  seems  different  enough 
from  American  men.  They  seem  either  to  under 
stand  me,  or  to  suggest  that  it  does  n't  matter  whether 
they  do  or  not ;  I  am  perfect  all  the  same.  But  Cecil 
Maundrell !  "  She  kicked  out  her  little  foot  rather 
viciously.  After  all,  why  should  she  adapt  herself  to 
anybody?  She  was  an  individuality,  more  of  one 
every  month  of  her  life,  and  extremely  interesting  to 
herself  and  other  people.  Englishwomen,  she  had 
been  told,  were  very  much  of  a  pattern  —  the  result 
of  centuries  of  breeding  in  uninterrupted  conditions. 
It  was  the  very  reverse  that  made  up  nine-tenths  of 
the  fascination  of  the  American  woman.  When  she 
married  Cecil  Maundrell  —  she  had  tossed  "if"  out 
of  her  vocabulary  —  they  might  take  a  year  or  two 
to  adjust  themselves  to  each  other;  but  they  both 
had  brains  enough  to  succeed  in  the  end ;  and  he 
could  not  fail  to  be  charmed  with  a  wife  cut  out  of 
her  own  piece  of  cloth,  and  specially  designed  for 
himself. 


118 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

LEE  spent  the  following  winter  in  New  York  and 
Washington,  with  friends  of  Mrs.  Montgomery, 
who  met  and  made  much  of  her  Del  Monte.  Her 
social  success  in  both  places  was  very  great,  and  she 
carried  off  all  the  honours  that  an  ambitious  young 
beauty  could  desire.  She  met  many  men-of-the- 
world.  The  species  rather  alarmed  her  at  first,  but, 
after  she  had  posed  herself,  they  amused  her  more ; 
in  their  way,  they  were  as  ingenuous  as  the  callow 
youth  of  San  Francisco.  She  returned  to  California 
wiser  than  when  she  had  left  it,  and  a  trifle  more 
subtle,  but  with  an  undiminished  vitality  of  spirit, 
and  with  the  romantic  imp  in  the  depths  of  her  brain 
as  active  as  ever.  It  had  been  Mrs.  Montgomery's 
intention  to  join  Lee  in  the  spring,  take  her  to  visit 
Tiny,  then  to  the  great  show  places  of  Europe  — 
invented  by  a  benign  Providence  for  the  American 
tourist;  but  an  attack  of  rheumatism  defeated  the 
project,  and  Lee  hastened  home  to  her. 

She  was  not  sorry  to  return.  The  East  quickly 
palls  on  the  Californian  of  temperament  and  imag 
ination,  and  before  the  winter  was  over  Lee  had 
begun  to  long  for  the  mysterious  Latin  charm  of  her 
own  country,  and  for  its  unvarying  suggestion  of 
unlimited  space.  Moreover,  she  feared  to  miss  Cecil 
Maundrell  if  she  went  abroad  at  this  time ;  his  move- 

119 


American  Wives 

ments  seemed  very  erratic,  and  his  letters  were  brief 
and  unexplanatory.  He  might  change  his  plans,  and 
come  to  California  at  any  moment.  Above  all,  she 
wanted  to  meet  him  on  her  own  ground,  in  the  coun 
try  which  had  gone  largely  into  the  making  of  her; 
not  in  Tiny's  drawing-room,  surrounded  by  a  con 
ventional  house-party. 

Sometimes  she  wondered  at  the  persistence  of  her 
desire  for  Cecil  Maundrell,  considering  how  little  it 
had  to  feed  upon,  and  preferred  to  conclude  that  they 
were  held  together  by  some  mysterious  bond  com 
pounded  in  the  laboratory  of  Nature,  whose  prac 
tical  manifestation  only  awaited  the  pleasure  of 
Time.  It  is  true  that  there  were  periods  when  she 
was  rebellious  and  angry,  and  during  one  of  Cecil's 
long  silences  —  he  had  not  written  for  four  months 
—  she  came  very  close  to  marrying  Randolph.  He 
was  ever  at  her  elbow,  with  a  persistence  generally 
quiet,  occasionally  impassioned.  He  made  himself 
useful  to  her  in  a  thousand  ways,  and  studied  her 
tastes ;  reading  her  favourite  books,  and  keeping  up 
with  her  fads.  He  was  clever  and  companionable, 
and  would,  indubitably,  make  a  good  husband.  He 
did  not  interest  her;  she  knew  him  too  well,  and 
her  power  over  him  was  too  sure,  but  her  second 
winter  in  San  Francisco  had  bored  her;  she  was  out 
of  tune  with  the  world  for  the  moment,  and  very 
human;  she  was  in  the  mood,  failing  the  best,  to 
hang  her  ideals  upon  the  man  who  pleased  her  most, 
and  to  love  him  by  sheer  exercise  of  imagination ;  a 
mood  that  has  ruined  the  life  of  more  women  than 
one. 

120 


and  English  Husbands 

She  was  balancing  the  pros  and  cons  more  seri 
ously  than  she  was  aware,  when  she  received  a  letter 
from  Cecil  Maundrell. 

It  was  early  spring.  The  family  had  moved  down 
to  Menlo  sooner  than  usual  on  account  of  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery's  health,  which  was  still  delicate;  and  Lee 
was  starting  for  a  ride  to  the  hills,  when  the  stable- 
boy  returned  from  the  village  with  the  morning  mail. 
She  sent  her  other  letters  into  the  house,  unopened, 
and  rode  off  rapidly  with  Cecil's.  It  was  of  unusual 
thickness;  she  had  not  received  one  so  heavy  since 
the  Sturm  und  Drang  of  his  Oxford  days. 

When  she  was  half  way  down  the  lane  that  led  to 
the  hills  she  read  his  letter.  Its  length  was  its  one 
point  of  resemblance  to  his  note -books  of  Oxford. 
Several  of  its  pages  were  filled  with  half-tender, 
half-humorous  reminiscences  of  "the  happiest  and 
most  piquant  weeks  of  his  life " ;  the  rest  to  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  he  was  filled  at  the  prospect 
of  seeing  her  again,  mingled  with  unsubtle  masculine 
suggestions  that  he  would  take  a  friendly  pleasure 
in  learning  that  she  had  not  committed  her  future  to 
some  man  who  was  not  half  good  enough  for  her. 
The  letter  was  dated  New  York,  where  he  had  been 
visiting  an  American  college  friend  for  two  weeks. 
He  expected  to  start  immediately  for  the  ranch  of 
some  English  friends  in  the  "Far  West,"  and  to 
reach  California  in  five  or  six  weeks.  Would  she 
write  him  at  once  to  the  enclosed  address,  and  tell 
him  news  of  herself? 

Lee's  horse  was  walking  slowly  up  the  lane  be 
tween  hedges  of  wild  roses  and  fragrant  chaparral. 

121 


American  Wives 

She  glanced  about  vaguely,  hardly  recognising  the 
familiar  beautiful  scene :  the  green  foot-hills  crouched 
close  against  the  great  mountains  that  were  dark  and 
still  with  their  majestic  redwoods  crowding  like 
brush  and  piercing  the  sky  on  the  long  irregular 
'  crest;  the  dazzling  blue  sky,  the  soft  blue  haze  on 
the  mountains,  the  glory  of  colour  in  the  fields,  and 
on  the  lower  slopes  of  the  hills;  for  the  poppies  and 
baby-eyes,  lupins,  and  California  lilies,  were  swarm 
ing  over  the  land. 

What  did  the  letter  mean?  Had  Cecil  Maundrell 
written  it  in  a  dream,  in  which  she,  perchance,  had 
visited  him  ?  She  read  it  again.  It  was  remarkably 
wide-awake.  And  it  was  almost  a  love-letter. 

She  glanced  about  more  appreciatively.  The  soft 
rich  mysterious  beauty  of  the  day  and  of  California 
symphonised  with  the  flush  on  her  cheeks,  the  rapt 
!  languor  of  her  eyes,  the  quickening  within  her. 

She  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  day  in  the  hills, 
buying  a  glass  of  milk  and  some  bread  at  a  farm 
house.  When  she  reached  the  redwoods  on  the  long 
slopes,  she  tethered  her  horse,  and  wandered  far 
into  the  forest.  The  very  mystery  of  life  brooded  in 
those  dim  cool  aisles,  whose  silence  was  undisturbed 
by  the  low  roar  of  spring  waters,  whose  feathery 
green  undergrowth  was  barely  flecked  by  the  bril 
liant  sun  above  the  dense  arbours  high  on  the  grey 
columns  of  the  forest. 

She  lay  on  the  edge  of  the  bluff  above  the  creek 
and  watched  the  salmon  moving  in  lazy  and  unper 
turbed  possession  of  their  sparkling  waters,  the  dart 
ing  trout,  the  wilderness  of  ferns  and  lilac  and  lily 


and  English  Husbands 

down  on  the  water's  edge.  A  deer  climbed  down 
the  opposite  bank  and  drank;  owls  cried  to  each 
other  in  the  night  of  the  forest;  two  hundred  feet 
above  her  head  the  squirrels  exchanged  drowsy  re 
marks  ;  in  the  warm  green  twilight  of  the  afternoon 
the  very  birds  went  to  sleep. 

It  was  not  the  first  time  that  Lee  had  dreamed  of 

j   Cecil  Maundrell  in  this  forest;  she  doubted  if  he 

would  seem  as  naturally  encompassed  by  the  beech 

*  woods   and   fells,    the   ruins   and   traditions   of   his 

i  English  home.     Certainly  this  was  as  old,  and  as 

,  [surely  it  was  a  part  of  her. 

They  both  had  unnumbered    generations  behind 
them  :  his  were  thick  with  men  and  events ;   hers  with 
Sjkl  redwoods,  whose   aisles  were    unpeopled,   in   whose 
-r  impenetrable  depths  tradition  itself  was  lost. 

She  returned  home  late  in  the  afternoon.  Ran 
dolph,  who  had  just  come  from  town,  was  standing 
on  the  steps,  and  ran  forward  to  lift  her  down. 

"My  mother  was  beginning  to  worry,"  he  said; 
"  you  ought  to  take  a  boy  with  you.  If  you  don't 
want  a  servant,  I  will  stay  down  and  accompany 
you." 

Lee  flicked  him  lightly  with  her  whip.  "  Then  I 
would  n't  go,"  she  said.  "  I  love  to  ride  about  for 
hours  by  myself.  Fancy  if  one  could  never  get  away 
from  men." 

She  spoke  airily,  but  Randolph  looked  hard  at  her. 
"What  has  happened?"    he  demanded.     "There 
is  something  quite  unusual  about  you." 

Lee  blushed,  but  Cecil's  letter  was  safe  in  her 
bosom. 

123 


American  Wives 

"  Don't  ask  impertinent  questions,  and  see  that 
you  don't  talk  me  to  death  to-night ;  I'  m  tired,"  and 
she  ran  upstairs. 

Her  other  mail  lay  on  her  dressing-table.  She 
opened  a  letter  from  Coralie,  who  was  visiting  friends 
in  New  York. 

"  Well,"  it  began  abruptly,  "  I  have  met  your  Cecil.  It 
was  last  night,  at  a  dinner-party  at  the  Forbes'.  He  is  tall, 
you  will  be  pleased  to  learn,  and  I  fancy  he  might  look  quite 
athletic  and  '  masterful '  (your  style)  in  evening  clothes 
that  fitted  him.  But  I  believe  he  has  been  sporting  round 
the  world  with  a  couple  of  portmanteaux,  and  avoiding 
polite  society.  He  wore  a  suit  belonging  to  Schemmer- 
horn  Smith,  whom  he  is  visiting,  and  it  was  just  two  sizes 
too  small.  He  did  n't  seem  in  the  least  embarrassed  about 
it,  and  his  manners  are  quite  simple  and  natural.  He 
does  n't  talk  very  much,  but  is  a  good  deal  easier  to  get  on 
with  than  that  awful  Lord  Arrowmount.  At  first  I  was 
frightfully  afraid  of  him  —  of  course,  being  the  lord  of  the 
party,  he  took  in  Mrs.  Forbes,  but  I  sat  on  the  other  side  of 
him,  and  Mrs.  Forbes  had  a  scientific  thing  on  her  other 
side,  and  had  to  give  him  most  of  her  attention.  Well, 
where  was  I?  Scared  to  death  in  the  memory  of  those 
letters  —  of  course  I  did  n't  breathe  that  I  'd  read  them  — • 
but  he  's  not  in  the  least  like  them  —  at  all  events  not  at 
dinner-parties.  He  was  very  much  interested  when  I  told 
him  I  was  your  intimate  friend,  although  not  so  much  as 
later  —  but  wait  a  minute.  You  may  be  sure  I  said  every 
thing  under  Heaven  in  your  praise,  but,  curiously,  I  never 
mentioned  your  beauty,  although  I  dilated  upon  your  suc 
cess,  and  all  the  scalps  you  wore  at  your  belt,  and  that  you 
had  a  room  whose  walls  were  simply  covered  with  german 

124 


and  English  Husbands 

favours.  He  warmed  to  the  theme  as  time  went  on,  and 
said  you  had  always  been  his  greatest  chum,  and  that  he 
was  going  to  California  for  two  things  only  —  to  kill  a  grizzly 
and  see  you.  He  put  the  grizzly  first,  but  never  mind  — 
he  's  English.  Now  comes  the  point.  After  dinner,  as 
soon  as  the  men  came  in,  he  made  for  me  —  I  did  n't  tell 
you  that  I  'm  sure  he  's  shy  —  and  I  took  him  straight  to 
your  photograph,  which  is  enthroned  on  a  table  all  by 
itself. 

"  '  There  she  is,'  I  said. 

"  He  took  it  up.  '  Who? '  he  asked,  staring  at  it  with  all 
his  eyes  —  they  are  nice  honest  hazel  eyes,  by  the  way,  that 
often  laugh,  although  I  '11  bet  he  has  a  temper. 

" '  Who  ?  —  Why,  Lee,  of  course  ! ' 

"  He  stared  harder  at  the  picture  —  it  is  the  low-necked 
one  you  had  taken  here,  in  black  gauze  and  coloured  — 
then  he  turned  and  stared  at  me.  '  Lee  ? '  he  said.  '  This 
is  Lee  ? '  and  if  he  were  not  burnt  a  beautiful  mahogany,  I 
do  believe  he  would  have  turned  pale.  He  's  got  a  mouth 
on  him,  my  dear,  that  means  things,  and  it  trembled. 

" '  She  's  grown  up  very  pretty,'  he  said  in  a  moment,  as 
carelessly  as  he  could  manage.  'I  never  suspected  that 
she  would  —  that  she  had.  Of  course  some  of  your  enter 
prising  Americans  have  snatched  her  up.  I  have  n't  heard 
from  her  for  a  long  time.  Is  she  engaged  ?  ' 

"'Not  that  I  know  of,'  I  said,  'although  she  has  three 
or  four  admirers  so  persistent,  you  never  know  what  you 
may  hear  any  minute.'  I  thought  a  little  worry  would  n't 
hurt  him ;  he  looks  altogether  too  satisfied,  as  if  he  had 
been  born  to  plums,  and  never  had  anything  else.  All  he 
said  was  '  Ah  ! '  He  put  the  picture  back,  and  we  went  off 
to  the  music-room,  but  he  managed  to  pass  that  table  twice 
before  the  evening  was  over  —  and  I  must  say,  I  've  seen 

"5 


American  Wives 

American  men  manage  things  more  diplomatically.  But 
there 's  something  rather  magnificent  about  him,  all  the 
same.  He  'snot  very  entertaining — Randolph  would  fairly 
scintillate  beside  him  —  but  his  air  of  repose  and  remote 
ness  from  the  hustling  every-day  world  are  really  fine.  If 
he  had  worn  a  potato  sack  instead  of  his  almost  equally 
grotesque  get-up,  he  would  have  looked  as  unmistakably 
what  he  is.  I  hunted  industriously  for  all  his  good  points 
to  please  you,  but  give  me  an  American  every  time.  I 
never  was  intended  for  a  miner,  and  you  have  to  go  into 
an  Englishman's  brain  with  a  pick  and  shovel.  Your  Cecil 
suggests  that  he  's  got  a  solid  mine  of  real  intellect,  de 
veloped  with  all  the  modern  improvements,  inside  his  skull ; 
but  what 's  the  good,  when  you  can't  hear  the  nuggets 
rattle?  He  wouldn't  even  tell  me  his  adventures  —  shut 
up  like  a  clam,  and  said  they  were  just  like  any  other 
fellow's;  and  Schemmerhorn  Smith  told  me  that  same 
evening  that  the  men  Lord  Maundrell  was  with  said  he 
was  one  of  the  crack  sportsmen  of  the  day.  Do  you  re 
member  when  Tom  killed  that  panther  that  attacked  him 
in  the  redwoods?  We  had  it  for  breakfast,  lunch,  and 
dinner  for  a  month.  Of  course  a  happy  medium 's  the 
thing;  but  for  my  part,  I  don't  like  too  much  modesty. 
I  'm  suspicious  of  it.  .  .  ." 

So  it  was  her  beauty  that  had  shifted  the  strata  in 
Lord  Maundrell's  solid  mine  of  intellect?  It  must 
have  caused  something  of  a  shock  to  have  resulted 
in  a  letter  which  almost  committed  him.  It  was  both 
a  jar  and  a  relief  to  discover  that  he  was  much  like 
other  men.  She  re-read  his  letter.  Then  she  glanced 
into  her  mirror. 

"  So  much  the  better,"  she  remarked. 
126 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

HER  admirers  had  a  sorry  time  of  it  for  the  next 
two  weeks ;  she  was  capricious,  even  irritable, 
absent-minded,  and  at  no  pains  to  conceal  that  they 
bored  her.  Her  appetite  remained  good,  or  Mrs. 
Montgomery  would  have  grown  alarmed. 

The  answer  to  Cecil's  letter  had  required  an  entire 
day  of  anxious  thought.  Her  pen  ran  over  with  the 
emotions  he  had  quickened ;  but  pride  conquered, 
and  she  finally  wrote  him  a  gay  friendly  letter,  as 
suring  him  of  a  welcome  in  which  curiosity  would 
play  no  insignificant  part,  but  studiously  concealing 
her  burning  interest. 

She  was  profoundly  thankful  to  the  inspiration 
which  dictated  that  letter  when  his  answer  came.  It 
was  very  brief,  and  its  only  enthusiasm  was  inspired 
by  the  buffalo.  There  was  not  a  mutually  personal 
line  in  it.  He  concluded  by  remarking  that  if  he  did 
not  write  again,  she  could  expect  him  any  time  just 
outside  of  a  month.  He  should  go  to  Southern  Cali 
fornia  first  to  visit  some  English  ranchers,  whom  he 
had  known  at  Oxford,  and  to  kill  his  grizzly. 

Lee  tore  this  letter  into  strips,  and  plunged  into  a 
desperate  flirtation  with  Randolph,  giving  him  an  un 
usual  meed  of  dances  at  the  little  parties  of  Menlo, 
making  him  get  up  at  unearthly  hours  to  ride  with 

127 


American  Wives 

her  before  his  day  in  town  —  he  detested  riding  — 
and  driving  every  evening  to  the  station  to  meet  him. 
He  was  puzzled,  but  inclined  to  take  the  pleasant 
caprices  of  the  gods  without  analysis.  He  was  very 
busy,  and  it  was  enough  to  know,  as  he  sat  at  his 
table,  his  pencil  working  at  the  thousand  and  one 
prosaic  details  of  a  huge  iron  building  he  was  de 
signing,  that  his  evenings  and  Sundays  were  to  be 
made  radiant  by  the  smiles  of  the  most  charming 
woman  in  the  world.  He  forgot  Cecil  Maundrell; 
and  the  future  he  tenaciously  desired  seemed  immi 
nent. 


128 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XXV 

ERE  comes  a  tramp  up  the  avenue  again,"  said 
Mrs.  Montgomery,  with  irritation.  "  That 
makes  the  second  this  week.  I  shall  have  to  build  a 
lodge.  Why  can't  they  go  to  the  farm-house? 
Tramps  are  very  trying." 

"  He  does  n't  walk  like  a  tramp,"  said  Lee,  "  al 
though  his  clothes  certainly  are  —  "  Being  a  trifle 
shortsighted,  she  raised  her  lorgnette.  She  rose 
suddenly,  turning  her  back  to  Mrs.  Montgomery,  and 
descended  the  steps  of  the  verandah.  Her  knees 
and  hands  shook  violently,  and  the  blood  rushed  to 
her  head ;  but  she  was  some  three  minutes  reaching 
the  stranger,  who  had  lifted  his  cap,  then  plunged  his 
hands  in  his  pockets,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  her 
nerves  were  in  the  leash  of  her  will. 

"  Well,  if  it  is  n't  like  you,  Cecil  Maundrell,  to  come 
in  those  awful  clothes ! "  she  cried  gaily.  "  Mrs. 
Montgomery  took  you  for  a  tramp." 

He  laughed  nervously  as  he  swung  her  hand  to 
and  fro.  "  We  were  burnt  out  last  night,  and  they  're 
all  I  Ve  got  left.  I  '11  go  on  to  San  Francisco  in  a 
day  or  two  and  get  some." 

"  I  don't  believe  Aunty  will  let  you  in  the  house, 
much  less  sit  down  at  the  table." 
9  129 


American  Wives 

"  Really?  How  curious !  I  did  n't  know  you  were 
so  conventional  out  here.  But  I  '11  go  on  at  once,  if 
you  say  so." 

"  No,  no.  Only  make  an  elaborate  enough  apology 
to  Mrs.  Montgomery,  and  she  will  be  as  nice  as  pos 
sible.  But  we  're  not  only  frightfully  conventional 
out  here,  but  rather  sensitive.  A  duke  came  down  to 
a  dinner-party  in  Menlo  once  in  his  shooting-jacket, 
and  we  Ve  never  gotten  over  it." 

"  What  a  bounder.  I  '11  go  out  and  eat  with  the 
farm  hands.  I  like  the  rough  and  ready  American 
very  much." 

"I  don't  know  any,  so  I  can't  argue.  You  look 
perfectly  splendid,  and  I  'm  so  glad  you  're  tall.  You 
really  have  changed  very  little,  except  that  you  Ve 
lost  your  pretty  complexion  —  although  I  prefer  this. 
You  make  other  men  look  positively  ill.  Oh,  Cecil, 
I  am  glad  to  see  you  !  " 

Her  face  and  voice  were  animated  by  the  friendliest 
feeling.  Cecil  stared  hard  at  her,  the  smile  dying 
out  of  his  eyes.  "  You  are  very  beautiful,"  he  said 
abruptly. 

"  I  hear  a  carriage.  Some  people  are  coming  to 
call.  Let  us  get  out  of  the  way  —  not  that  I'm 
ashamed  of  you,  but  you  don't  want  to  meet  Mrs. 
Montgomery  before  a  lot  of  other  people." 

"  I  don't  want  to  meet  her  at  all  —  or  anybody  else 
but  yourself.  To  tell  the  truth,  it  never  occurred  to 
me  that  there  would  be  any  one  else,  and  I  knew  you 
would  n't  mind  these  old  shooting  rags.  I  do  look 
like  a  tramp.  I  really  never  thought  about  it.  I  re 
member  people  rather  stared  at  me  in  the  train.  A 

130 


and  English  Husbands 

flashy-looking  fellow  in  the  smoking-car  asked  me  if 
I  was  looking  for  work,  and  I  told  him  No,  I  was  look 
ing  for  a  fight.  He  said  nothing  more  until  we 
reached  a  station,  when  he  asked  me  to  get  out  and 
take  a  drink." 

"Did  you?  I  can't  imagine  your  unbending  that 
far." 

"  Oh,  I  take  everybody  as  a  matter-of-course, 
knocking  about.  I  accepted  the  drink  and  stood  him 
another.  After  that  I  went  to  sleep  to  get  rid  of  him. 
Of  course  he  wanted  to  talk  —  that  is  to  say,  mono 
logue." 

"  Let  us  sit  down  here." 

They  had  left  the  avenue,  and  crossed  a  side  garden. 
There  were  two  rustic  chairs  under  a  great  oak.  They 
took  them,  and  faced  each  other. 

"  Did  you  kill  your  grizzly?  " 

"  No ;  not  one  has  been  heard  of  in  the  neighbour 
hood  of  San  Luis  Obispo  for  three  years.  I  never 
was  so  disappointed  in  my  life.  Now,  I  suppose, 
there  is  no  hope ;  it  is  too  much  to  ask  of  men  who 
have  been  burnt  out  to  bother  about  grizzlies.  My 
other  friends  —  the  ones  I  've  been  with  for  the  last 
two  years — didn't  come  further  West  than  Mon 
tana." 

Lee  had  on  a  white  summer  frock,  girdled  with  a 
ribbon  the  colour  of  her  eyes.  Her  black  hair  was 
coiled  loosely.  She  was  fully  aware  that  she  looked 
very  lovely. 

"  You  are  the  only  man  living  that  would  look  for 
a  grizzly  first  and  for  me  after,"  she  said  with  a 
certain  arching  of  her  brows  and  pouting  of  her  lips 


American  Wives 

...     "  Cecil,  you  always  could  stare  harder  than  any 
one  I  ever  knew." 

"  I  believe  I  Ve  thought  quite  as  much  about  you 
as  the  grizzly." 

"  Thanks !  " 

"  No ;  but  I  am  serious."  He  looked  away.  Lee 
fancied  that  his  triple  coat  of  tan  really  paled.  "  I  Ve 
never  been  so  upset  in  my  life,"  he  continued  lucidly. 

"  It  never  did  take  you  long  to  come  to  the  point. 
What  a  relief — there  are  not  to  be  a  half-dozen  weeks 
of  flirtatious  fencing.  Do  come  out  with  it." 

He  laughed,  but  without  any  great  amount  of  ease. 
"  I  '11  be  perfectly  frank,"  he  said.  "  I  saw  your  pho 
tograph  in  New  York ;  I  nearly  went  off  my  head.  I 
lay  awake  all  night.  It  was  the  first  time  any  woman 
had  bowled  me  over.  My  two  or  three  fancies  were 
hardly  worth  recalling.  You  see,  I  put  your  beauty 
with  all  I  knew  of  you  mentally,  and  of  our  delightful 
companionship  when  you  were  older  than  most  girls 
of  your  age — and  the  sweetest  little  thing! — and 
the  combination  made  my  brain  whirl.  Before  morn 
ing  I  wrote  you  that  letter " 

"Well?" 

Lee  was  twirling  her  lorgnette,  her  eyes  lowered. 
Cecil  had  not  removed  his  eyes  from  the  horizon.  He 
spoke  jerkily,  with  an  evident  effort. 

"  When  I  cooled  down,  I  was  sorry  I  had  sent  that 
letter,"  he  brought  out  brutally,  after  an  instant's 
further  hesitation.  "  You  see,  I  had  never  thought  of 
you  in  that  way  at  all,  or  I  should  n't  even  have  started 
for  California.  I  don't  believe  in  international  mar 
riages  " 

132 


and  English  Husbands 

"  But,  my  dear  Cecil,"  exclaimed  Lee,  opening  wide 
surprised  eyes,  "  we  're  not  going  to  marry !  I  settled 
all  that  long  ago." 

Cecil  was  too  perturbed  and  too  masculine  to  mark 
the  rapid  change  of  tactics.  He  turned  his  face  about 
and  stared  at  her.  He  was  visibly  paler,  and  his  eyes 
were  almost  black. 

"  You  have  not  settled  it  as  far  as  I  'm  concerned," 
he  said.  "  I  knew  it  was  all  up  with  me  when  you 
came  toward  me  down  that  avenue.  I  Ve  done  noth 
ing  but  deliberate  for  five  weeks ;  I  Ve  weighed  every 
pro  and  con ;  I  Ve  recalled  every  scene  between  my 
father  and  stepmother;  I've  argued  with  myself  on 
the  folly  of  marrying  anything  under  a  fortune ;  and 
the  moment  I  saw  you  I  knew  that  I  had  wasted  five 
weeks,  and  that  I  should  marry  you  if  you  would 
have  me." 

Lee's  eyes  had  returned  to  the  study  of  her  lap. 
Pride  and  passion  battled  again.  After  a  full 
moment's  silence,  she  looked  up  with  so  sweet  a  smile 
that  he  leaned  forward  impulsively  to  take  her  hand. 
But  she  drew  it  back. 

"  Cecil,"  she  said,  "  I  forbid  you  to  make  love  to 
me  until  you  have  made  me  love  you  first.  Of  course 
I  can't  say  if  I  ever  shall."  She  looked  about 
vaguely,  her  lips  still  smiling.  "  But,  at  least,  we 
start  fair ;  I  don't  care  a  straw  for  any  one  else,  and 
I  Ve  always  liked  you  better  than  anybody  in 
the  world.  To-day  is  the  twenty-sixth  of  April. 
You  may  propose  to  me  again  on  the  twenty-sixth 
of  May." 

He  looked  at  her  helplessly,  his  lips  twitching. 
'33 


American  Wives 

"You  don't  care  at  all?"  he  asked.  His  voice  still 
thickened  when  he  was  agitated. 

"  How  can  I,  Cecil  —  in  that  way  —  when  I  have  n't 
laid  eyes  on  you  for  ten  years?  You  admit  that  I 
was  only  an  abstraction  to  you  before  you  saw  my 
picture.  You  could  not  expect  more  of  me,  and  I 
never  even  had  a  glimpse  of  a  photograph.  And 
women  don't  take  fire  so  easily  as  men."  She  prayed 
he  would  not  catch  her  up  in  his  arms  and  kiss  her. 
"  I  have  not  even  been  inspired  to  deliberation." 
She  gave  a  little  laugh  just  tipped  with  malice. 
"  What  would  you  think,  I  wonder,  if  I  accepted  you 
on  a  moment's  notice." 

"You  certainly  wouldn't  have  my  excuse.  What 
a  guy  I  must  be!"  He  stood  up  with  a  sudden 
diffidence  which  made  him  look  like  a  big  awkward 
boy,  and  Lee  loved  him  the  more. 

"What  time  does  the  next  train  go  to  San  Fran 
cisco?  "  he  added.  He  had  taken  out  his  watch. 

"Twelve-ten." 

"I  have  just  time  to  catch  it.  I  '11  be  back  when 
I  've  got  some  decent  clothes.  I  suppose  there  are 
tailors  in  San  Francisco  —  in  Market  Street  ?  " 

"Go  and  see  Randolph,  Crocker  Building.  He 
will  take  you  to  his." 

"Thanks.     Good-bye." 

He  shook  her  hand,  avoiding  her  eyes,  and  strode 
away.  When  he  reached  the  avenue,  he  plunged  his 
hands  into  his  pockets  and  began  to  run.  Lee  found 
time  to  laugh  at  his  picturesque  lack  of  self-con 
sciousness  before  she  turned  and  fled  across  the  lane 
into  the  friendly  solitude  of  the  Yorba  woods. 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

HE  returned  three  days  later,  clad  in  immaculate 
grey,  a  trunk  in  his  wake  containing  much 
smart  linen  and  four  suits  of  clothes,  which  had 
been  ordered  at  the  best  house  in  San  Francisco  by 
a  stockbroker  who  had  retired  from  business  and 
his  country  the  day  before  Cecil,  with  similar 
measurements  and  similar  needs,  was  presented  to 
the  tailor  by  Randolph. 

Mrs.  Montgomery  had  done  the  one  thing  possible 
under  the  circumstances  —  she  had  asked  Cecil  to 
make  her  house  his  home  so  long  as  he  remained  in 
that  part  of  California.  Her  eyes  were  very  red  on 
the  morning  after  his  first  appearance,  but  she  made 
no  comment  to  Lee,  who  spent  the  greater  part  of 
those  three  days  by  herself,  but  appeared  quite 
normal  when  with  the  family.  Cecil  had  gone  at 
once  to  see  and  consult  Randolph,  who  remarked, 
when  he  came  home  that  night,  that  the  Englishman 
seemed  a  very  good  sort,  but  that  he  should  prefer 
not  to  walk  down  Kearney  Street  with  him  again 
until  he  was  properly  rigged  out.  He  really  did  n't 
know  why  they  hadn't  been  mobbed,  and  two  imps 
of  newsboys  had  made  audible  remarks  about 
"blarsted  Britishers." 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  can  always  tell  an  English 
man,"  he  added,  with  some  impatience.     "To  say 


American  Wives 

nothing  of  his  get-up  to-day,  look  at  the  difference 
between  his  figure  and  Coe's.  The  clothes  will  fit 
Maundrell  to  perfection,  but  his  figure  is  no  more 
like  Coe's  than  it 's  like  mine.  He  's  a  lean  athletic 
Englishman,  every  inch  of  him ;  Coe  was  thin  and 
angular.  It 's  quite  remarkable." 

"  Is  he  very  handsome  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Montgomery 
faintly. 

"  I  really  could  n't  say.  He  looks  like  an  Eng 
lishman— that 's  all." 

Lee  darted  a  swift  side-glance;  he  was  eating 
with  his  usual  nervous  haste.  She  knew  him  better 
than  in  the  old  days,  but  could  detect  no  sign  of 
agitation  in  him.  In  a  moment  he  began  to  talk 
about  a  new  pair  of  carriage  horses  he  had  bought 
his  mother;  and  during  the  evening  he  asked  Lee 
to  play  for  him  in  the  dark,  as  usual.  Once  she 
turned  her  head  suddenly  and  caught  a  fixed  steely 
gleam  from  the  depths  of  his  chair.  She  averted 
her  eyes  hastily,  and  gazed  thoughtfully  at  the  keys, 
playing  mechanically,  with  nothing  of  her  usual 
expression. 

She  always  wore  white  in  summer,  in  accordance 
with  an  unwritten  law  of  Menlo  Park,  and  for  the 
evening  of  Cecil's  second  appearance  she  selected 
her  softest  and  airiest,  one,  moreover,  that  was  cut 
several  inches  below  her  throat,  and  one  or  two 
above  her  elbows.  Full-dress,  except  at  the  rare 
dinner  parties  in  honour  of  some-one-with-letters, 
was  tabooed  in  that  exclusive  borough.  As  Cecil 
came  from  town  with  Randolph  she  left  the  honours 
of  introduction  to  the  host,  and  did  not  make  her 

136 


and  English  Husbands 

appearance  until  a  few  minutes  before  dinner.  She 
found  Mrs.  Montgomery  and  Cecil  amiably  discuss 
ing  California,  and  Randolph  gently  jeering  at  them 
for  their  lack  of  originality. 

"  Several  volumes  have  been  written  on  the  '  Re 
sources  of  California, '  but  the  one  to  which  she  shall 
owe  her  permanent  fame  has  never  had  so  much  as 
a  paragraph.  It  awaits  its  special  biographer. " 

"  But  there  can  be  originality  even  on  an  exhausted 
theme,"  said  Lee,  who  had  shaken  hands  with  Cecil, 
and  was  anxious  to  keep  the  conversation  light. 
"  Captain  Twining's  remark  two  days  after  his  arrival 
in  California  is  already  quite  famous. "  She  glanced 
at  Cecil,  and  lifted  her  chin  with  defiant  coquetry. 
"  He  said  that  he  had  only  heard  of  two  things 
Californian  before  he  came  —  Miss  Tarleton  and  the 
climate. " 

"He  wasn't  very  polite  to  call  you  a  thing,"  said 
Cecil,  laughing;  he  seemed  in  excellent  spirits. 

"Perhaps  he  took  her  for  a  perfume  or  a  flower," 
said  Randolph  quickly. 

The  two  men  measured  each  other  with  a  swift 
glance. 

"That  was  really  very  neat,"  remarked  Lord 
Maundrell  "You  might  have  blushed,  Lee." 

"She  has  had  too  many  compliments;  she  is 
quite  spoiled  for  anything  less  than  downright 
uxoriousness. " 

"  Ah ! "  observed  Lord  Maundrell. 

They  went  in  to  dinner.  Cecil  was  not  to  be 
laughed  out  of  his  interest  in  California;  the  grape 
industry  had  interested  him  during  his  brief  sojourn 

'37 


American  Wives 

in  the  South,  and  he  wanted  to  know  all  about  it, 
from  its  incipience  to  its  finalities.  Randolph,  who 
knew  little  about  the  grape  industry,  and  cared 
less,  answered  in  glittering  generalities,  and  headed 
him  off  to  the  subject  of  mission  architecture. 
Cecil  immediately  instituted  a  comparison  between 
the  results  of  Indian  labour  and  the  characteristic 
edifices  of  Spain  —  more  particularly  of  Granada,  and 
then  branched  off  to  the  various  divergences  under 
native  and  climatic  influences  to  be  found  in  South 
America.  Of  all  this  Randolph  knew  practically 
nothing.  Like  most  Americans,  he  was  a  specialist, 
and  had  studied  only  that  branch  of  his  art  necessary 
to  his  own  interests.  But  his  mind  was  very  nimble, 
and  he  so  successfully  concealed  from  the  English 
man  his  superficial  knowledge  of  the  subject,  that 
Lee,  who  followed  the  conversation  with  rapt  inter 
est,  did  not  know  whom  to  admire  most.  She  was 
wondering  if  Cecil  could  make  as  brilliant  a  show 
ing  as  Randolph  on  next  to  nothing,  when,  in  reply 
to  a  question  of  his  host's  regarding  the  gold  mines 
of  Peru,  he  replied  indifferently : 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  them.  They 
didn't  interest  me,"  and  dismissed  the  subject;  one 
upon  which  Randolph  happened  to  have  some  knowl 
edge.  He  had  invested  heavily  in  a  newly-discov 
ered  mine  of  which  one  of  his  friends  was  secretary. 

The  conversation  turned  to  politics.  Randolph 
was  at  his  best  analysing  and  illustrating  the  party 
differences,  but  when  Cecil  questioned  him  about 
the  genesis  of  the  two  parties,  the  constitution  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  historic  significance  of 

138 


and  English  Husbands 

the  various  presidents,  even  generalities  failed  him, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  confess  himself  nonplussed. 

"Upon  my  word,"  he  exclaimed  laughing,  "I  do 
believe  that  the  only  thing  I  remember  about  United 
States  history  is  its  covert  admonition  to  grow  up  as 
fast  as  I  could  and  lick  the  English." 

Lee  and  Cecil  laughed  simultaneously.  "  Have 
you  ever  told  the  story  of  my  attempt  to  lick  the 
United  States  ?  "  asked  Cecil.  "  That  defeat  rankled 
for  years." 

"  Never ! " 

Cecil  told  the  story  very  well.  It  was  evident 
that  his  bitterness  had  passed,  and  he  concluded : 

"The  odd  part  of  it  all  is,  that  although  you 
Americans  beat  us,  it  is  you  who  are  bitter,  and  not 
ourselves.  It  was  the  same  way  with  those  boys. 
They  gave  me  sour  disapproving  glances  every  time 
they  met  me  until  I  left.  On  the  other  hand,  I 
nearly  thrashed  the  life  out  of  a  man  in  Montana, 
and  I  never  made  such  an  enthusiastic  friend." 

"Oh,  we  have  to  be  bullied,"  said  Randolph 
frankly.  "  We  love  to  brag  and  boast  and  swagger. 
You  see  we  are  such  an  extraordinary  nation  thai: 
we  can't  help  being  a  little  cocky,  and  the  only  man 
we  really  respect  is  the  one  who  lays  us  on  our  back 
with  a  black  eye  and  a  nose  out  of  joint.  We  always 
get  up  —  nothing  can  keep  an  American  on  his  back 
—  but  we  go  to  our  graves  with  a  wondering  admira 
tion  of  the  muscle,  mental  or  physical,  that  floored 
us." 

"That  is  very  interesting,"  said  Cecil  thought 
fully,  "very."  He  added  in  a  moment:  "I  fancy 

139 


American  Wives 

the  bitterness  would  have  died  out  by  this  time,  in 
spite  of  our  failure  to  keep  the  finest  of  our  colonies, 
but.  for  our  diplomacy,  which  is  a  trifle  too  subtle 
and  sinuous  to  please  the  rest  of  the  world.  I  don't 
know  that  the  United  States  stands  alone  in  her 
antagonism."  And  he  laughed. 

Randolph  knew  less  about  English  diplomacy  than 
he  did  about  the  past  history  of  American  politics, 
but  he  made  a  rapid  calculation :  if  he  led  Cecil  on, 
the  Englishman,  with  his  exact  and  profound  knowl 
edge,  would  distinguish  himself  and  win  the  grateful 
admiration  of  the  woman.  On  the  other  hand, 
unless  he  kept  him  talking,  he  should  be  called 
upon  for  information  which  he  had  always  considered 
superfluous  in  an  American  who  had  but  one  short 
life  in  which  to  "get  there,"  and  which  was  of  no 
particular  interest  to  himself;  he  had  cut  his  college 
course  down  to  one  year  in  order  to  make  the  most 
of  his  youthful  energies,  and  to  run  no  risk  of  los 
ing  Lee  Tarleton.  Moreover,  if  he  drew  his  guest 
out,  he  should  not  only  be  doing  his  duty  as  a  host, 
but  Lee's  approval  for  himself  would  be  as  large  as 
her  admiration  of  his  rival.  There  was  more  than 
a  chance,  clever  as  she  was,  that  she  would  give 
him  full  credit  for  generosity  and  for  the  courtesy 
of  his  fathers.  He  made  up  his  mind  in  an  instant, 
threw  out  an  observation  of  epigrammatic  vagueness 
on  the  diplomacy  of  England,  and  in  ten  minutes 
had  Cecil  monopolising  the  conversation,  under  the 
impression  that  he  was  forced  into  an  argument. 

Lee  forgot  her  dinner,  and  listened  intensely. 
She  had  heard  men  talk  more  brilliantly  —  for  Cecil 

140 


and  English  Husbands 

had  cultivated  none  of  the  graces  of  oratory,  and  of 
the  epigram  he  appeared  to  have  a  healthy  scorn 
—  but  she  had  never  heard  any  one  talk  who  knew 
so  well  what  he  was  talking  about,  and  who  yet 
suggested  that  he  was  merely  skimming  up  the  spray 
of  a  subject  whose  deeps  were  trite  to  him  straight 
clown  to  its  skeletons  and  flora.  His  knowledge  of 
English  diplomacy  suggested  an  equally  minute 
knowledge  of  the  diplomatic  history  of  every  country 
into  which  England  had  run  her  horns.  He  talked 
without  priggishness,  rather  as  if  he  were  used  to 
discussing  the  subject  with  men  who  were  as  well 
grounded  as  himself. 

As  they  left  the  dining-room,  Lee  lingered  behind 
a  moment  with  Randolph. 

"It  was  awfully  nice  of  you,"  she  said.  "You 
like  to  do  the  talking  yourself,  and  England  has 
never  interested  you  much." 

"  I  knew  that  it  would  interest  you.  I  was  bored  to 
extinction;  but  it  is  time  you  had  a  little  variety." 

"  You  are  good."  She  hesitated  a  moment.  "  He 
has  real  intellect,  hasn't  he?"  she  asked. 

"He  knows  things.  He  can  knock  the  spots  out 
of  us  when  it  comes  to  solid  information.  But  in  a 
contest  of  wits  I  'd  engage  him  in  a  match  without 
any  qualms.  He  's  straight  out  from  the  shoulder, 
and  if  he  were  stacked  up  against  American  nimble- 
ness  and  adaptability  for  any  great  length  of  time, 
he'd  go  under." 

"  He  's  quick  enough." 

"With  an  answer  —  yes;  but  that's  not  what  I 
mean." 

141 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

THEY  had  remained  longer  at  dinner  than  usual, 
and  when  Lee  went  out  to  the  verandah,  she 
found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brannan  and  Mr.  Trennahan,  a 
New  Yorker  who  had  recently  married  and  settled 
in  Menlo.     Cecil  was  at  her  elbow  in  a  moment. 

"Let  us  take  a  walk,"  he  said.  "Will  it  be  rude 
to  leave  these  people?  " 

"Oh,  no;  we  are  very  informal  among  ourselves, 
and  they  are  Mrs.  Montgomery's  friends  rather  than 
mine." 

f    They   crossed   the   grounds,    entered    Fair   Oaks 
Lane,  and  walked  toward  the  hills.     It  was  moon- 
•  light,  and  the  redwoods  on  the  crest  of  the  mountain 
\were  sharp  against  the  sky. 

"  Can  I  smoke  a  cigar  ?  " 

"Of  course." 

"  Should  not  you  have  something  else  round 
you?" 

"This  shawl  is  camel's  hair  and  very  warm.  How 
do  you  like  Randolph  ?  " 

"A  very  decent  chap.     Is  he  in  love  with  you?  " 

"Why  is  it  that  when  a  man  admires  a  woman  he 
fancies  every  other  man  is  in  love  with  her? " 

"That 's  not  answering  my  question.  Not  that  it 
is  necessary.  No  man  could  grow  up  with  you  and 
not  love  you." 

142 


and  English  Husbands 

"  You  are  learning  to  pay  compliments.  You  will 
be  sending  me  candy  and  flowers  next." 

"I'll  never  send  you  candy,  nor  anything  that's 
not  good  for  you. " 

"Have  you  spent  the  last  three  days  regretting 
that  you  proposed  on  Monday  ? " 

"What  an  ass  you  must  think  me.  I  proposed, 
and  that  was  the  end  of  it ;  my  only  regret  was  that 
I  did  it  so  badly.  I  have  spent  the  last  three  days 
racking  my  brains  over  a  different  matter,  not  a 
wholly  foreign  one." 

Lee  made  no  reply.  Her  hand  hung  at  her  side. 
He  took  it  in  a  quiet  but  determined  pressure. 
"  How  am  I  to  make  you  love  me  ?  "  he  asked.  "  I 
have  n't  the  vaguest  idea  how  to  go  about  it." 

"  In  the  very  bottom  of  your  mind  would  n't  you 
really  rather  that  you  could  not  ?  I,  too,  have  been 
thinking  hard  during  the  last  three  days.  Of  course, 
I  know  of  international  marriages  that  have  turned 
out  very  well ;  but  that  does  n't  alter  the  fact  that 
many  have  turned  out  badly  —  although,  for  that 
matter,  the  United  States  fairly  reeks  with  divorce. 
It  is  a  question  to  puzzle  wiser  heads  than  mine. 
Are  most  English  marriages  happy?  " 

"  Probably  not ;  but  the  point  is  that  if  you  marry 
your  own  sort,  you  know  where  you  are.  If  I  had 
ever  met  an  English  girl  who  attracted  me  one  half 
as  much  as  you  do,  and  had  married  her,  we  should 
have  followed  along  certain  traditional  lines  and  got 
on  fairly  well,  even  if  there  were  no  great  happiness. 
You  see  an  Englishman  is  certain  of  several  things 
if  he  marries  a  perfectly  normal  Englishwoman  of 


American  Wives 

his  own  class.  She  will  obey  him,  she  will  have  as 
many  children  as  he  wishes,  her  scheme  of  life  will 
be  his,  and,  no  matter  how  bright  she  may  be,  she 
will  adapt  herself  to  him  —  which  is  not  the  least 
important  point.  An  Englishman  simply  cannot 
adapt  himself  to  anybody.  It  is  n't  in  him.  He 
can  be  a  good  husband  on  his  own  lines,  particularly 
if  he  loves  his  wife;  and  if  he  loves  her  enough,  and 
she  makes  herself  more  charming  than  other  women, 
he  '11  be  faithful  to  her,  and  do  what  he  can  to  make 
her  happy.  But  she  must  adapt  herself  to  him." 

"You  have  the  virtue  of  frankness!  Are  you 
trying  to  frighten  me  off?  " 

"It  would  not  be  fair  of  me  to  deceive  you."  He 
certainly  looked  very  serious.  Lee  studied  his  pro 
file  meditatively,  but  she  did  not  withdraw  her  hand. 
"I  don't  see  why  it  should  frighten  you.  We  have 
always  been  most  sympathetic.  We  really  loved 
each  other  when  we  were  little  chaps,  and  were 
drawn  together  at  once.  In  all  these  years  I  have 
had  no  such  confidante,  no  one  who  has  been  so 
necessary  to  me.  And  you  have  not  been  indifferent ; 
never  was  there  so  faithful  a  correspondent.  If  you 
loved  me  enough,  we  should  be  very  happy.  Theo 
ries  go  to  the  winds  when  a  man  wants  a  woman  as 
much  as  I  want  you,  and  love  would  settle  all  our 
differences." 

"  I  wonder ! "  They  walked  on  in  silence  for  a 
moment ;  then  she  said :  "  How  brave  you  are ! 
Much  braver  than  I  should  be  if  I  consented  to 
marry  you;  for  I,  at  least,  know  you  fairly  well, 
whereas  you  are  merely  generalising,  and  do  not 

144 


and  English  Husbands 

know  me  in  the  least.  I  might  give  you  an  exhaus 
tive  description  of  the  conditions  in  which  I  had 
been  brought  up,  from  that  in  which  my  mother 
played  no  small  part  to  the  men  that  have  been  my 
slaves  ever  since  I  put  on  long  frocks.  I  might 
analyse  to  you  the  growth  of  my  individuality, 
describing  the  influence  which  the  management  of 
my  own  affairs  has  had  on  my  character,  the  fact 
that  I  have  done  my  own  thinking  all  my  life,  and 
then  — these  three  years  in  which  I  have  been  a  real 
belle,  and  seen  more  than  one  man  make  an  idiot  of 
himself.  I  might  tell  you  all  that,  and  even  enter 
into  a  wise  dissertation  on  the  racial  differences  of 
our  two  civilisations;  but  nothing  could  give  you  a 
real  idea  of  myself,  the  idea  you  would  have  absorbed 
if  you  had  been  a  part  of  my  environment  for  the  last 
ten  years.  Nothing  could  be  wiser  than  your  obser 
vation  that  we  should  marry  our  own  sort.  As  far 
as  I  can  figure  it  out,  it  comes  to  this :  If  I  mar 
ried  Randolph  he  would  spend  his  life  buttoning  my 
boots.  If  I  married  you,  I  should  spend  my  life 

pulling  off  yours " 

"  Good  heavens,  no !  What  a  little  beast  I  was ! " 
He  laughed  heartily,  although,  oddly  enough,  his 
laughter  did  not  interfere  with  his  seriousness  in  the 
least.  It  would  have  dissipated  that  of  any  other 
man  she  knew ;  but  he  went  on  at  once.  "  I  should 
not  quarrel  with  Fate  for  giving  me  a  wife  who  inter 
ested  me  more  than  any  woman  of  my  own  sort  could 
do,  if  you  were  always  perfectly  open  and  frank  with 
me.  I  should  hate  being  intrigued,  and  I  should 
never  have  the  patience  nor  the  inclination  to  sit 

10  ,45 


American  Wives 

down  and  unravel  any  woman's  complexities.  If 
you  did  not  go  to  work  deliberately  to  puzzle  me,  I 
should  soon  know  you,  and  I  cannot  imagine  you 
other  than  absolutely  charming." 

"  If  I  pluck  out  my  complexities  —  in  other  words, 
my  individuality  —  by  the  roots,  and  adapt  myself  to 
you." 

"  You  could  adapt  yourself  to  me  without  sacrific 
ing  the  least  of  your  individuality.  I  wouldn't  have 
you  other  than  you  are.  Where  would  your  charm 
be?" 

"  You  began  very  practically,  but  you  are  getting 
rather  Utopian." 

"  No,  because  we  are  both  young.  It  is  true  that 
I  am  twenty-five,  and  that  my  character  is  quite 
formed  —  a  difficult  thing  for  a  woman  used  to 
American  men  to  understand.  But  I  still  have  all 
the  fresh  enthusiasm  of  youth  for  anything  that 
interests  me,  and  an  immense  capacity  for  affection, 
which  has  been  satisfied  very  little.  If  you  loved 
me  well  enough — that  would  be  the  whole  point." 

"  In  other  words,  the  entire  responsibility  of  this 
matrimonial  experiment  would  lie  on  my  shoulders." 

"Don't  call  it  an  experiment,  for  God's  sake!  It 
is  life  and  death  for  me.  If  I  take  you  I  take  you 
for  ever,  and  if  you  decide  to  marry  me,  you  must 
make  up  your  mind  that  we  will  be  happy." 

They  walked  on  for  another  moment  in  silence. 
He  felt  her  fingers  curl  up  stiffly,  but  she  said  quite 
calmly : 

"  I  decided  long  ago,  when  I  was  sixteen,  I  think, 
to  marry  you,  and  I  have  never  changed  my  mind  for 

146 


and  English  Husbands 

a  moment.  I  always  knew  that  you  would  come. 
On  Monday,  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  fall 
into  your  arms  like  a  ripe  apple;  but  you  are  so  seri 
ous  that  you  have  made  me  serious,  and  I  cannot 
coquet  any  longer." 

Cecil  had  dropped  her  hand  and  stopped  short, 
facing  Ii3r. 

"  Is  it  possible  that  you  love  me  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Is 
it  possible? " 

"  I  have  loved  you  twenty  times  more  than  any  one 
on  earth  for  years  and  years,  and  I  shall  love  no  one 
else  as  long  as  I  live.  .  .  .  Cecil,  you  do  stare  so ! " 

But  in  another  second  he  had  ceased  to  stare. 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

THEY   decided   to    keep   their   engagement   to 
themselves  for  a  short  while,  but  on  the  fourth 
day  Mrs.  Montgomery  entered  Lee's  room  abruptly. 

"I  must  have  the  truth,  my  dear  child,"  she  said. 
"  In  the  first  place,  unless  you  are  engaged  to  Lord 
Maundrell,  I  cannot  permit  you  to  take  these  long 
walks  and  rides  alone  with  him ;  you  never  did  such 
a  thing  before.  And  in  the  second  place " 

"Don't  cry,"  said  Lee,  fondling  her  nervously. 
"That  is  one  reason  I  haven't  said  anything  about 
it.  I  knew  you  would  be  disappointed  about  Ran 
dolph,  and  I  can't  even  bear  to  think  of  leaving 
you " 

"  If  you  only  could  have  loved  Randolph !  " 

"Really  and  truly,  I  tried  —  two. or  three  times. 
But  I  made  up  my  mind  long  ago  that  I  would  not 
make  a  mistake  when  I  married,  if  I  could  help  it. 
I  don't  expect  a  bed  of  roses  with  Cecil  —  he  's  too 
high  and  mighty,  and  he  's  too  self-centred  —  but  at 
least  I  love  him  well  enough  to  put  up  with  any 
thing,  and  nothing  could  make  me  love  him  less  — 
no  matter  what  happened." 

"  Oh,  I  hope  you  will  be  happy !  —  I  hope  you  will 
be  happy !  Lord  Maundrell  is  really  most  interest 
ing  and  charming;  his  air  and  his  manners  are  really 
—  really.  And  Tiny  is  very  happy  with  Arthur. 
But  I  shall  be  so  lonely  —  and  poor  Randolph !  " 

148 


and  English  Husbands 
V 

"Can't  you  and  he  come  to  England  to  live? " 

"  I  have  six  other  daughters  and  five  grandchildren 
here,  remember,  and  Randolph  is  in  too  great  a 
hurry  to  get  rich  to  begin  over  again  in  a  new  coun 
try.  Tiny  will  be  here  soon  now  for  a  year,  and  I 
shall  go  back  with  her.  Of  course,  I  shall  see  you 
then,  but  you  are  really  lost  to  me." 

Lee,  whose  tears  were  quick,  wept  passionately  at 
this  aspect;  she  had  not  thought  of  it  before.  When 
both  were  calmer,  Mrs.  Montgomery  asked : 

"  Did  you  tell  him  that  you  had  a  great  deal  more 
money  ? " 

Lee  nodded. 

"  What  did  he  say  ?  " 

"  He  was  delighted,  and  said  so  as  frankly  as  he 
says  everything.  He  says  we  shall  have  three  thou 
sand  pounds  a  year  between  us,  and  can  get  along 
very  nicely;  although  the  tug  will  come  when  we 
have  to  keep  up  Maundrell  Abbey.  His  stepmother 
has  made  her  will  in  his  favour;  but  he  says  she  has 
cut  into  her  capital,  and  lately  she  has  had  to  pay  a 
tremendous  amount  for  repairs  on  the  Abbey.  Lord 
Barnstaple  certainly  came  high !  " 

"  What  a  terrible  marriage !  Thank  Heaven,  there 
is  no  disgraceful  commercial  transaction  where  you 
and  Tiny  are  concerned.  Lord  Maundrell  seems 
clever  enough  for  anything ;  why  does  n't  he  go  into 
business  and  make  a  fortune  ?  " 

"  He  would  never  think  of  such  a  thing ;  he 's  going 
to  stand  for  Parliament  at  the  next  elections.  His 
ideas  are  quite  fixed,  and  he  has  his  whole  career 
mapped  out." 

149 


American  Wives 

"Of  course  he'll  be  Prime  Minister.  Of  course 
he  's  ambitious." 

"He  's  not  so  ambitious  as  he  is  terribly  serious. 
He  thinks  it's  his  duty  —  his  vocation.  A  lot  of 
his  ancestors  have  been  statesmen,  although  they  've 
generally  been  in  the  House  of  Lords.  Cecil 's  so 
glad  he  's  not  going  to  be  for  ages.  His  father 
started  out  brilliantly,  but  had  a  great  row  with  his 
party  about  something,  and  dropped  out.  Then, 
after  his  first  wife's  death,  he  became  rather  dissi 
pated.  Cecil  says  he  began  life  with  high  ideals. 
His  uncle  Basil  was  a  distinguished  Parliamentarian, 
and  a  Bill  or  a  Law  or  something  is  called  after  him 
—  I  expect  to  know  English  politics  backward  by 
this  time  next  year." 

"  You  will !  —  You  will !  You  were  made  to  be 
the  wife  of  a  great  man,  and  he  '11  be  so  proud  of 
you ! " 

"  You  are  the  most  partial  person ! " 

"  Yes,  I  am ;  but  I  've  always  been  able  to  see  my 
children's  faults,  much  as  I  adore  them.  But  I  don't 
feel  a  qualm  about  you.  Your  mind  is  so  quick; 
and,  thank  Heaven,  I  paid  such  strict  attention  to 
your  manners.  They  are  simply  perfect." 

"  Think  if  you  'd  left  me  to  grow  up  in  a  boarding- 
house!  You  can  be  sure  I  never  forget  my  debts. 
I  didn't  tell  you  that  Cecil  is  no  longer  a  Radical. 
He's  a  Conservative,  straight  into  his  marrow;  his 
ancestors  have  never  been  anything  else,  and  he  's 
outlived  all  his  fads." 

"He's  painfully  mature,"  said  Mrs.  Montgomery, 
with  a  sigh.  "  Englishmen  seem  to  remain  boys  a 


and  English  Husbands 

long  time,  and  then  to  grow  old  all  at  once.  I  sup 
pose  it 's  that  dreadful  Oxford.  Our  boys  are  little 
old  men  who  get  their  youth  somewhere  in  their 
twenties,  and  are  not  really  grown  again  until  after 
thirty.  It 's  very  singular.  Randolph,  of  course, 
has  worked  a  good  deal  of  his  boyishness  out  of  him, 
but  he  is  always  laughing  and  joking.  And  look  at 
Tom  and  Ned  —  they  are  mere  children  beside  Lord 
Maundrell.  I  was  really  mortified  when  they  tried 
to  talk  to  him  last  night,  and  I  had  always  thought 
them  bright." 

"  So  they  are.  But  if  men  won't  cultivate  their 
brains,  what  can  they  expect?  Tom  thinks  of  noth 
ing  but  business  —  which  he  takes  as  a  joke  —  danc 
ing,  and  football,  and  Ned  boasts  that  he  has  only 
read  ten  books  in  his  life.  Tom  would  only  remain 
eight  months  at  Harvard,  and  Ned  would  n't  go  at 
all.  Both  have  had  every  opportunity,  and  they  are 
full  of  American  quickness  and  wit ;  but  they  have 
a  genuine  scorn  for  intellect.  I  can  see  that  they 
regard  Cecil  as  a  freak.  Randolph  respects  brains, 
but  even  he  is  bored. " 

"Yes,  it 's  true  —  it 's  true.  Will  you  tell  Ran 
dolph?  I  have  n't  the  courage." 

"Yes;  I'll  tell  him  to-night  —  we're  dining 
alone,  aren't  we?  Don't  worry  about  him.  Men 
always  get  over  things." 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

r  I  ^HAT  evening,  as  they  were  walking  up  the  hall 
J.  from  the  dining-room  to  the  verandah,  Lee 
put  her  hand  on  Randolph's  arm  and  drew  him  into 
the  parlour. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you  something,"  she  said  nervously. 
"  You  know  I  have  always  loved  Cecil  Maundrell.  I 
am  going  to  marry  him." 

"  So  I  have  inferred." 

The  room  was  dark.     She  could  not  see  his  face. 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  don't  mind.  You  used  to 
fancy  yourself  in  love  with  me  —  that  was  the  only 
thing  that  worried  me.  I  'm  afraid  I  'm  hopelessly 
conceited." 

"  You  have  every  reason  to  be.  Maundrell  has 
floored  me.  I  respect  him.  But,  as  I  remarked 
once,  an  American  never  stays  on  his  back." 

"  You  '11  forget  me?     You  '11  marry  Coralie?  " 

He  brought  his  hand  down  on  her  shoulder  and 
jerked  her  close  to  him.  She  could  see  his  white 
face  dimly. 

"  I  mean  that  sooner  or  later  —  this  year  or  ten 
years  from  now —  I  will  have  you,  and  that  you  will 
come  to  me  of  your  own  accord." 

"  I  never  will !  What  a  detestable No  matter 

what  happened,  I  'd  never  love  any  man  but  Cecil 
Maundrell !  I  belong  to  him !  " 


and  English  Husbands 

"  We  shall  see." 

He  left  her  then  and  went  out  to  the  verandah. 
Lee  heard  his  light  laugh  a  moment  later. 

"  He  certainly  can  be  serious,"  she  thought;  "  but 
I  'm  sure  he  hates  it.  That  laugh  means  either  that 
he  's  delighted  to  forget  his  momentary  drop,  or  that 
he  's  past  master  of  the  great  national  game  of  bluff. 
In  his  way  he 's  not  uninteresting." 


'53 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XXX 

OEVERAL  days  later  she  took  Cecil  to  the  red- 

0  woods.     Mrs.    Montgomery    consented    reluc 
tantly —  Lee  had  always  been  a  little  beyond  her  — 
but  put   up  the  lunch  herself.     They  started  early, 
for  the  weather  was  very  warm,  and  as  they  rode 
hard   there   was   little   conversation,    although   both 
were  in  high  spirits.     When  they  reached  the  foot 
hills  they  were  obliged  to  slacken  speed,  and  Cecil 
said: 

"  I  feel  exactly  as  if  we  had  started  out  in  search 
of  adventures  again.  Let  us  hope  there  will  not  be 
a  fog  nor  an  earthquake." 

They  had  talked  old  times  threadbare,  and,  after 
shuddering  once  more  over  that  memory,  Lee  said : 
"  The  redwoods  are  just  the  place  for  stories  of  thrill 
ing  adventures  with  tigers  and  lions  and  things.  As 
Coralie  says,  you  are  altogether  too  modest.  I  shall 
insist." 

"  I  don't  mind  telling  you  anything  you  like;  but 
to  sit  up  by  the  hour  and  rot  to  other  people  about 
oneself — it's  too  much  like " 

"  American  brag?  " 

"  Well,  I  don't  like  to  be  rude,  but  that  was  what 

1  meant.     Of  course  there  are  exceptions,"  he  added 
hastily.     "  Take  Mr.  Trennahan,  for  instance.     I  have 
noticed  that  the  American  who  has  lived  a  good  deal 

'54 


and  English  Husbands 

abroad  neither  brags  nor  is  in  any  way  provincial. 
And,  as  Montgomery  says,  the  others  have  every 
excuse.  They  would  have  a  right  to  be  cocky  about 
•tffieiir  country,  if  only  on  account  of  what  Nature  has 
done  for  it." 

"They  are  lovely,  aren't  they?"  Lee  pointed  her 
whip  proudly  to  the  forest  above.  It  began  on  the 
next  slope  they  ascended,  straggling  carelessly  for  a 
mile  or  more,  then  seemingly  knit  into  a  black  and 
solid  wall  of  many  tiers.  Presently  the  hills  closed 
about  them,  the  great  arms  of  the  mountain  reached 
down-on  every  side,  its  grass  burnt  golden,  its  red 
woods  casting  long  shadows,  until  their  own  shade 
grew  too  heavy.  As  the  riders  ascended  higher, 
there  was  often,  far  down  on  one  side  of  the  road,  a 
canon  set  thick  with  the  rigid  trees,  and  cut  with 
a  blade  of  water ;  an  almost  perpendicular  wall  on 
the  other.  Finally,  they  passed  the  outposts,  and 
entered  a  long  steep  avenue  of  redwoods  leading  to 
the  depths  of  the  forest. 

"  I  never  knew  anything  so  intensely  still,  nor  so 
solemnly  beautiful,"  said  Cecil.  "  Could  n't  we  come 
here  for  our  honeymoon?  Is  there  a  house  to  be 
had?" 

"  The  Trennahans  have  one.  I  am  sure  they  would 
lend  it  to  us.  Oh,  I  should  like  nothing  so  much  as 
that!" 

"Nor  I!     Fancy!" 

When  they  felt  that  they  were  really  in  the  forest, 
they  tethered  their  horses  and  sat  down  at  once  with 
their  luncheon.  It  was  a  very  good  one,  and  they 
ate  it  with  relish,  for  they  had  been  in  the  saddle 


American  Wives 

several    hours.    When   it  was   over,   Cecil   made   a 
pillow  of  his  saddle,  and  smoked  a  pipe. 

"  You  look  quite  happy,"  said  Lee  sarcastically. 

"  Oh,  I  am  !     I  never  knew  anything  so  jolly !  " 

"Would  you  like  me  to  pull  off  your  boots?" 

"What  an  unforgiving  spirit  you  have.  I  should 
be  much  happier  if  you  would  sit  as  close  to  me  as 
you  can." 

Lee  sat  down  beside  the  saddle. 

"  Now,  tell  me  your  adventures,"  she  commanded. 

Whatever  the  final  results  of  her  inspiration,  the 
immediate  were  very  agreeable.  Cecil's  adventures 
had  been  many,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  sportsman 
made  him  eloquent.  It  was  soon  evident  that  he  had 
returned  heart  and  soul  into  the  past  two  years;  and 
although  Lee  was  pleased  to  observe  that  his  grasp 
on  her  hand  did  not  relax,  his  pipe  was  permitted  to 
go  out.  Although  his  adventures  did  not  consist  of 
a  series  of  hairbreadth  escapes,  they  were  novel  and 
exciting,  and  Lee  was  thrilled. 

"  You  always  were  the  most  sympathetic  listener," 
he  exclaimed.  "Fancy  my  talking  to  anyone  else 
like  this !  I  do  believe  my  tongue  has  been  wagging 
for  two  hours." 

"  I  don't  wonder  you  love  sport.  I  should,  too. 
It  was  a  mere  name  to  me  before.  The  boys  go 
fishing  once  a  year;  they  camp  out  in  this  forest; 
and,  occasionally,  they  go  duck  or  snipe  shooting,  or 
kill  a  few  quail ;  but  I  never  heard  even  the  expres 
sion  '  big  game '  except  from  you." 

"  And  with  grizzlies  and  pumas  —  fancy !  What 
are  the  men  thinking  of  ?  " 

156 


and  English  Husbands 

"  Of  course  there  are  lots  of  old  mountaineers  and 
trappers  who  have  shot  more  bears  and  things  than 
they  can  count ;  but  even  those  of  our  men  that  are 
not  chasing  the  mighty  dollar  don't  seem  to  take 
to  sport." 

"  It 's  not  a  tradition  with  them.  It  will  come  with 
more  leisure,  more  Englishmen,  and  the  inevitable 
imitation  of  ourselves  in  that  and  in  other  things. 
They  hate  us,  but  the  tail  of  their  eye  is  always  on 
England's  big  finger  writing  on  the  wall.  The  Eas£- 
ern  men  copy  our  accent,  our  clothes,  our  custom^. 
The  New  Yorkers  are  already  good  sportsmen,  and 
they  owe  it  to  us  that  they  are.  They  began  with  a 
spirit  that  did  them  little  credit,  but  they  are  twice 
the  men  they  would  be  otherwise  —  this  generation 
of  them,  I  mean.  I  am  given  to  understand  that,  in 
its  mad  rush  for  money,  the  race  has  deteriorated 
since  the  Civil  War.  Your  Californians  are  slower, 
because  they  are  on  the  edge  of  the  world,  and  cus 
toms  take  longer  to  reach  them ;  but  one  day  some 
idle  young  blood  will  spend  a  year  in  England,  then 
come  back  and  make  sport  the  fashion,1  and  the  next 
generation  will  be  men  with  healthy  bodies  and 
healthy  minds." 

"  And  better  manners !  I  am  so  glad  you  are  not 
going  to  hustle  for  money.  I  hate  the  loathsome 
stuff — except  to  have  it;  it  has  so  much  to  answer 
for.  I  should  think  the  race  has  deteriorated.  Look 
at  the  Southerners !  Look  at  Randolph  !  The  only 
picture  Mrs.  Montgomery  has  of  her  husband  was 

1  This  prediction  is  already  being  verified  to  some  extent. 
157 


American   Wives 

taken  when  he  had  been  out  here  twenty  years,  and 
then  his  face  had  become  very  sharp  and  keen ;  but 
his  father  and  grandfather  were  most  aristocratic- 
looking  men  —  full  of  fire,  but  with  a  repose  as  fine  as 
yours.  And  Randolph  was  a  most  elegant  boy;  it 
is  doubtful  if  you  think  him  a  gentleman." 

"  Oh,  yes,  yes !  The  American  armour  fairly  rat 
tles  on  him,  and  when  he  's  old  he  '11  look  like  the 
American  eagle;  but  I  feel  jolly  sure  that  when  it 
came  to  the  point,  he  'd  never  do  anything  unworthy 
of  a  gentleman." 

"  Not  even  to  get  a  woman? " 

"  All 's  fair  in  love ;  but  he  would  never  do  any 
thing  tricky  or  vulgar." 

"Once  he  wouldn't;  but  he  has  been  rubbing 
elbows  with  dishonest  and  common  men  for  so  many 
years.  His  standards  are  lowered;  I  can  see  the 
change  from  year  to  year." 

"  Blood  is  blood.  He  will  never  descend  quite  to 
the  level  of  the  men  of  one  generation.  I  've  just 
thought  of  another  yarn." 

"  Oh,  do  tell  it !     Let  us  walk." 

They  wandered  about  for  an  hour  or  two,  pushing 
through  the  low  forest  of  fronds  and  young  redwoods, 
sometimes  silent  and  happy,  sometimes  planning  out 
the  days  of  their  honeymoon,  sometimes  absorbed  in 
the  vast  silence,  the  almost  overwhelming  sugges 
tion  of  immensity  and  power  and  antiquity  of  the 
redwoods. 

"  They  are  a  thousand  years  old — some  of  them." 

"  They  are  so  new  to  me  that  I  can  hardly  realise 
their  age.  But  they  make  the  rest  of  the  world  seem 


and  English  Husbands 

)  a  thousand  miles  away,  and  there  is  something  about 
\  them  that  agitates  soul  and  sense,  and  promises  — 
almost  everything.  If  Trennahan  won't  lend  us  his 
{  house,  we  '11  come  here  and  camp  out." 

They  went  down  to  the  flashing  creek  whose  walls 
were  brilliant  with  green  and  scarlet,  and  counted  the 
fish,  Cecil  hungrily  sighing  for  a  rod. 

"I'll  let  you  fish  during  the  honeymoon  —  you 
remember,  I  promised  —  but  only  one  hour  in  the 
morning  and  another  in  the  afternoon." 

"  I  see  you  are  determined  to  make  a  good  wife 
without  sacrificing  your  precious  individuality. 
But,  my  dear,  we  must  go." 

As  they  descended  the  mountain  out  of  the  red 
woods,  Cecil  looked  back  with  a  sigh.  "If  we 
had  only  seen  something,"  he  said.  "I  have  talked 
so  much  sport  to-day  that  I  'm  all  on  fire  again  for 
my  grizzly. " 


*59 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

AND  it  was  that  evening  at  the  dinner  table 
that  Randolph  remarked : 

"  Unless  you  've  lost  your  interest  in  sport,  there  's 
a  chance  for  you.  The  grizzly 's  a  rare  bird  in 
California,  these  times,  but  the  agent  of  a  ranch  my 
mother  has  in  the  Santa  Lucia  Mountains  writes 
me  that  he  has  seen  two  of  late,  and  has  been  think 
ing  about  killing  or  trapping  them.  It  takes  him 
several  weeks  to  make  up  his  mind  to  do  anything, 
so  the  grizzlies  are  yours,  if  you  care  about  them." 

Cecil  had  nearly  risen  from  his  seat.  "I  '11  start 
to-night !  "  he  said.  "  How  do  you  get  there  ?  " 

"If  you  really  care  to  go,  I'll  walk  over  after 
dinner  and  ask  Trennahan  if  he'll  go  with  you. 
I  'm  sorry  that  I  can't  go  myself,  but  I  am  not  a 
sportsman,  and  I  'm  very  much  rushed.  Trennahan 
is  nearly  as  enthusiastic  as  yourself,  and  would  be 
sure  to  go.  You  could  start  early  to-morrow 
morning. " 

"I  will  indeed!  How  jolly  of  you  to  think  of  it. 
I  really  am  tremendously  obliged.  I  've  seldom 
been  so  keen  about  anything." 

Lee  kept  her  eyes  lowered.  They  were  the  feature 
she  could  least  control,  and  she  knew  that  they  were 
blazing.  Randolph  told  eighteen  anecdotes  of  the 

160 


and  English  Husbands 

grizzly,  to  which  Cecil  listened  with  undivided 
attention. 

As  they  passed  out  into  the  hall,  Lee  tapped 
Cecil's  arm  with  her  fan. 

"  Will  you  come  to  the  library  a  moment  ? "  she 
said.  "I  want  to  speak  to  you." 

The  library  was  in  a  wing  of  the  house;  they  were 
sure  to  be  out  of  earshot.  She  lit  the  gas,  and  then 
turned  her  eyes  upon  him.  He  moved  uneasily  and 
raised  his  eyebrows. 

"Are  you  angry  about  something?" 

"  Do  you  really  mean  that  you  would  leave  me  to 
go  to  spend  two  weeks  tracking  a  grizzly  bear? " 

"It  need  not  be  as  long  as  that." 

"It's  almost  sure  to  be.  It  takes  nearly  two 
days  to  get  to  the  ranch,  and  is  such  a  tiresome  trip 
that  you  will  have  to  rest  for  another  before  you 
go  out.  You  will  be  gone  a  fortnight  at  the  very 
least." 

Cecil  made  no  reply. 

"  We  have  not  been  engaged  two  weeks.  Do  you 
really  mean  that  you  will  —  that  you  can  leave  me 
for  a  loathsome  grizzly  bear?  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  leave  you,  of  course.  Could  n't 
you  come  too  ?  " 

"And  rough  it?  I  never  even  camp  out  in  the 
redwoods;  and  you  have  no  idea  what  travelling  in 
the  wild  parts  of  California  means." 

"Of  course  you  mustn't  come,  then.     But,  you 

see,  this  is  my  only  chance;  and  that  is  one  of  the 

things  I  came  to  California  for  —  one  that  I  started 

round  the  world  after,  for  that  matter.     Surely  you 

"  161 


American  Wives 

wouldn't  have  me  miss  it!  You  told  me  to-day 
that  you  understood  my  feeling  for  sport." 

"I  don't  understand  at  all  how  you  can  leave  me! 
I  'm  not  your  own  sort,  you  see,  or,  doubtless,  I 
should." 

"It  is  n't  that  only.  You  have  led  too  many  men 
round  by  the  nose." 

"Not  one  of  them  would  have  left  me  for  a 
bear." 

"  Which  does  not  argue  that  they  loved  you  better 
than  I,  merely  that  they  are  different.  None  of 
them  succeeded  in  winning  you,  I  may  observe;  and 
the  way  you  treat  them  when  they  bore  you  makes 
me  blush  for  my  sex.  Yesterday  you  fairly  swept 
Mr.  Geary  out  with  a  broom. " 

"I  wanted  to  be  alone  with  you." 

Cecil  was  facing  her,  his  hands  in  his  pockets. 
His  eyes  were  smiling,  but  his  jaw  was  set  in  a  way 
she  had  taken  note  of  two  days  before:  she  had 
demanded  a  confession  of  his  past  relations  with 
women,  and  he  had  merely  set  his  jaw  and  made  no 
reply. 

"Are  you  going? " 

He  nodded,  still  smiling.  His  hands  were  work 
ing  nervously  in  his  pockets,  but  she  did  not  see 
them. 

She  gasped  slightly.  "I  cannot  believe  it,"  she 
said. 

"That  I  can't  love  you  as  passionately  as  a  man 
ever  loved  a  woman,  and  yet  leave  you  to  complete 
a  record  which  means  a  good  deal  to  me  ?  If  I  were 
going  to  live  in  California  I  would  put  it  off  for  a 

162 


and  English  Husbands 

year  —  with  scarcely  a  regret ;  but  it  is  now  or  never. 
Surely  you  will  be  reasonable." 

"  You  can  go  if  you  like,  but  you  need  not  come 
back ! "  and  she  made  a  rush  for  the  door. 

He  caught  her  in  his  arms,  and  held  her  so  closely 
that  she  could  not  move.  "  I  shall  go,  and  I  shall 
come  back,  and  I  shall  marry  you  on  the  first  of 
July.  And  believe  this  —  I  cannot  get  back  quickly 
enough." 

"I  can't  bear  the  thought  of  having  you  go,  and  I 
can't  bear  the  thought  of  being  put  aside  for  a 
bear,"  sobbed  Lee. 

"  Console  yourself  with  the  thought  that  you  will 
never  be  able  to  get  rid  of  me  for  more  than  two 
weeks  at  a  time.  I  do  not  believe  in  matrimonial 
vacations. " 

"You  will  never  make  another  long  sporting  tour 
round  the  world  ?  " 

"  Never !  I  have  had  that.  I  want  a  home  more 
than  anything  on  earth." 

"I  wish  I  had  more  influence  over  you." 

"  You  mean  that  I  was  your  blind  besotted  slave. 
When  you  have  forgotten  your  false  ideas  of  the 
relations  of  men  and  women,  and  accepted  the  right 
one,  you  will  not  bother  yourself  about  trifles ;  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  anyone  on  earth  should  be 
happier  than  we." 

"  After  I  have  adapted  myself ! " 

He  gave  her  a  little  shake.  "When  you  have 
swung  round  to  the  old  world,  and  the  only  logical 
point  of  view.  A  state  of  society  is  all  wrong 
where  women  rule  —  that  is  to  say,  it  is  in  a  semi- 

163 


American  Wives 

chaotic  transition  period.  When  your  greatest 
country  on  the  face  of  the  earth  has  shaken  down, 
men  and  women  will  occupy  exactly  the  same  rela 
tive  positions  that  they  do  in  older  countries.  And 
there  will  be  fewer  divorces." 

"  How  can  you  stand  up  here  and  lecture  me?  " 

"I  don't  want  to  lecture  you.  I  want  to  kiss 
you." 

"  I  can't  help  being  an  American.  I  was  made 
one,  and  I  have  grown  up  one.  How  can  I  make 
myself  over? " 

t  "  Think  less  about  it.  You  Americans  —  par 
ticularly  you  Californians  —  carry  your  individuality 
round  like  a  chip  on  your  shoulder.  You  are  as 
self-conscious  about  it  as  a  little  boy  with  his  first 
)air  of  trousers.  I  hear  Trennahan's  voice.  I  must 
leave  you  in  five  minutes,  and  I  may  not  see  you 
alone  again.  We  have  talked  enough." 

And  as  they  were  both  people  who  did  nothing  by 
halves,  they  parted  with  fervour,  and  mutual  assur 
ance  of  the  other's  impeccability. 


164 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER    XXXII 

THE  next  evening,  Lee  rose  abruptly  from  her 
seat  between  Mrs.  Yorba  and  Mrs.  Trennahan, 
who  had  dined  with  them,  and  walked  hastily  over 
to  Randolph  who  sat  alone  in  a  corner  of  the 
verandah. 

"Did  you  send  Cecil  to  the  Santa  Lucia  Moun 
tains  hoping  that  he  would  be  killed?"  she 
demanded. 

"What  do  you  take  me  for?  —  the  ten-cent  villain 
in  the  melodrama?  He's  got  the  strength  and  the 
nerve  of  two  men,  and  I  've  written  to  Joe  Mann  not 
to  leave  him  for  an  instant.  His  precious  skin  is 
safe  enough.  I  merely  wanted  to  show  you  what 
you  had  to  expect  if  you  married  him  — a  correct  but 
unflattering  glimpse  of  your  power  over  him." 

"  You  did  it  on  purpose?  " 

"I  did  it  on  purpose;  and  the  infantile  manner 
in  which  he  walked  into  the  trap,  and  turned  him 
self  inside  out,  was  really  delicious." 

"It 's  because  he  's  as  honest  and  straightforward 
as  —  as  your  grandfather  was.  You  are  a  horrid 
tricky  American ! " 

Randolph  brought  his  teeth  together,  but  he 
answered:  "All's  fair  in  love.  Moreover,  if  I 
were  entirely  out  of  the  question,  I  should  study 

165 


American  Wives 

your  interests  as  I  should  those  of  my  sister.  You 
are  not  married  yet.  Think  it  over  carefully  before 
he  comes  back." 

"  Do  you  suppose  I  'd  break  my  engagement  ?  I  've 
given  him  my  word,  and  it 's  announced." 

"  If  you  had  engaged  yourself  to  me  before  Maun- 
drell  came,  would  you  not  have  thrown  me  over? " 

"Yes,  I  would." 

"  Your  femininity  is  your  greatest  charm  —  to  me. 
Its  somewhat  anarchistic  quality  may  not  commend 
X/itself  to  Cecil  Maundrell.     Better  think  it  over. " 

"You  can  plot  all  you  like,  but  I  'd  marry  Cecil 
Maundrell  if  he  went  after  grizzlies  every  month  in 
the  year." 

She  had  passed  through  several  phases  since  that 
morning,  when  she  had  risen  at  four  to  see  her 
future  lord  depart.  The  strong  passion  of  her 
nature  responded  with  sensuous  delight  to  the  heavy 
hand  of  the  master;  she  was  primal  woman  first,  and 
American  after.  But  she  was  American  "all  the 
same,"  she  reminded  herself  with  a  proper  pride. 
She  was  willing  to  excuse  Cecil  from  buttoning  her 
boots,  but  she  would  have  liked  him  to  manifest  a 
natural  desire  to  kiss  her  slipper.  Of  the  strength 
of  his  passion  she  had  no  misgivings,  but  she  was 
too  clear-sighted  to  permit  herself  to  hope  that 
idolatry  had  any  part  in  it.  And  if  she  had  a 
"primal  instinct  for  submission  to  the  worshipped 
j  strength  of  the  male,  she  had  quite  as  strong  an 
instinct  for  her  own  way.  Not  only  had  the  condi 
tions  of  her  life  fostered  a  tenacious  will,  but  she 
inherited  a  love  of  power,  and  adulation  from  a 

166 


and  English  Husbands 

mother  and  a  grandmother  to  whom  the  neck  of  man 
was  a  familiar  footstool. 

Two  days  later  Tiny  arrived  with  Lord  Arrow- 
mount  and  the  Honourable  Charles  Edward  Richard 
Thornton,  the  last  in  the  arms  of  his  nurse.  Tiny 
was  as  pretty  and  as  placid  as  ever,  and  Lord 
Arrowmount,  if  not  so  pretty,  was  quite  as  placid, 
and  as  silent  as  of  yore.  The  note  of  command  was 
not  manifest  in  his  voice,  and  it  was  evident  that  he 
was  not  on  the  alert. 

"Have  you  adapted  yourself?"  asked  Lee  that 
night. 

Tiny  smiled  her  old  inscrutable  smile.  "  He 
thinks  I  have,  so  it  amounts  to  quite  the  same 
thing." 

"  I  wish  I  could  manage  things  that  way,  but  I 
can't.  Cecil  is  horribly  clever,  and  I  don't  take 
things  calmly." 

"  It  is  all  a  matter  of  temperament,  of  course. 
Try  and  not  expect  too  much,  and  it  will  be  easier. 
An  Englishman  simply  won't  keep  on  telling  you 
that  he  loves  you  —  " 

"  Mine  will,  or  there  '11  be  trouble." 

"They're  so  lazy  about  talking.  I'm  afraid  he 
won't.  It 's  pure  laziness  that  has  made  them  clip 
so  many  names,  and  throw  all  their  accents  back 
ward,  fairly  swallowing  the  last  syllables.  When 
they  've  told  you  once  they  love  you,  they  don't  see 
why  you  can't  take  it  for  granted  ever  after,  and 
when  one  gets  over  that  I  'm  positive  they  are  the 
most  agreeable  husbands  in  the  world.  They  give 
so  little  trouble,  arid  take  such  good  care  of  one, 

167 


American  Wives 

and  do  all  the  thinking.  Arthur  is  the  most  com 
fortable  person.  He  is  generous,  and  has  no  temper 
at  all  if  he  is  not  crossed,  and  is  more  than  willing 
to  think  me  quite  perfect  because  I  always  look 
pretty,  and  never  contradict  him,  and  entertain  all 
his  stupid  shooting  friends  without  a  grimace." 

"  What  do  you  get  out  of  it  all  ? " 
^  "Those  things  can't  be  analysed;  he  suits  me. 
I  am  really  very  fond  of  him.  I  love  people  who 
are  good-tempered  and  not  nervous,  and  can  be 
awfully  fond  of  one  without  making  a  fuss  about  it. 
I  love  him  well  enough  to  bore  myself  in  a  good 
many  ways,  but  I  have  this  compensation  —  /  can 
make  him  do  anything  I  choose.  We  spend  every 
winter  where  I  want  to  spend  it,  and  he  's  none  the 
wiser.  I  entertain  his  friends  in  the  summer  and 
autumn,  but  I  have  my  own  in  town,  and  we  always 
go  to  at  least  three  houses  that  I  like. " 

"  It  is  evident  that  Cecil  and  I  will  have  to  work 
out  our  own  problem." 

He  returned  in  two  weeks  and  two  days  with  his 
grizzly's  skin  —  a  huge,  hideous,  and  ill-favoured 
trophy.  Lee  lifted  her  delicate  nose,  and  drew  away 
her  skirts,  but  assured  him  warmly  that  she  was 
quite  as  delighted  as  he  was,  and  so  proud  of  him 
she  feared  every  one  would  laugh  at  her. 

"Trennahan  got  the  other,  but  mine  was  the 
biggest,"  he  said  intensely.  "It's  a  long  and 
exciting  story.  The  old  chap  nearly  got  me.  Let 
me  go  and  clean  up,  and  then  we  '11  go  for  a  walk, 
and  I  '11  tell  you  all  about  it.  And  that 's  the  least 
of  what  I  have  to  tell  you." 

168 


and  English  Husbands 

They  went  for  their  walk,  and  there  was  no  doubt 
left  in  Lee's  mind  that  he  had  been  in  a  hurry  to 
get  back  to  her,  although  he  had  waited  until  his 
grizzly's  skin  was  peppered  and  dried.  Her  doubts 
went  to  rest,  and  she  was  happy. 

They  were  married  on  the  first  of  July,  in  the 
library,  in  the  presence  of  the  family  and  intimate 
friends.  Coralie  returned  in  time  to  be  bridesmaid 
and  to  bring  the  wedding-dress  and  veil,  —  in  which 
Lee  looked  so  lovely,  that,  as  she  entered  the  room 
on  Randolph's  arm,  Cecil  put  his  hands  suddenly 
into  his  pockets,  as  was  his  habit  when  his  nervous 
fingers  betrayed  him.  His  face  was  impassive,  and 
he  went  through  the  ceremony  very  creditably.  So 
did  Randolph. 

After  the  wedding-breakfast,  the  newly-wed, 
amidst  showers  of  rice,  started  for  the  redwoods  on 
horseback.  Mr.  Trennahan  had  offered  his  house, 
and  their  luggage  had  gone  the  day  before.  Their 
host  had  asked  them  to  remain  indefinitely,  as  he 
and  his  wife  purposed  to  pass  the  summer  at  Lake 
Tahoe.  They  took  the  house  for  a  fortnight.  They 
remained  a  month. 

As  soon  as  they  had  gone,  Randolph  went  to 
town,  saying  he  could  not  return  until  the  next  day. 
He  pleaded  business,  and  his  mother,  who  had 
watched  him  closely,  was  satisfied.  He  spent  the 
night  in  a  private  room  of  a  fashionable  saloon, 
before  a  small  table,  drinking  —  drinking  —  drink 
ing,  his  face  growing  whiter,  the  fire  in  his  brain 
hotter,  his  ideas  more  lucid.  Once  he  took  a  letter 
from  his  pocket  and  re-read  it.  It  notified  him  that 

169 


American  Wives 

the  Peruvian  mine  in  which  he  had  invested  was 
several  times  richer  than  had  been  anticipated,  and 
that  a  syndicate  would  offer  him  a  million  dollars 
for  his  interest.  He  tore  the  letter  to  strips. 
When  the  dawn  came  he  was  still  sober. 


170 


and  English  Husbands 


PART   TWO 

CHAPTER  I 

IT  is  seldom  that  the  imagination  is  disappointed  in 
the  "  ancestral  piles  "  of  England.  The  United 
Statesian,  particularly,  surrounded  from  birth  by  all 
that  is  commonplace  and  atrocious  in  architecture,  is 
affected  by  the  grey  imposing  Fact,  brooding  heavily 
under  the  weight  of  its  centuries,  with  a  curious  com- 
mixion  of  delight,  surprise,  and  familiarity.  All  the 
rhapsodies  of  the  poets,  all  the  minute  descriptions  of 
the  old  romanticists,  train  the  imagination,  bend  it  into 
a  certain  relationship  with  the  historic  decorations  of 
another  hemisphere,  yet  stop  short  of  conveying  an 
impression  of  positive  reality.  The  product  of  a  new 
world,  a  new  civilisation,  as  he  stands  before  the  carved 
ruins  of  an  abbey's  cloisters,  or  the  grey  ivy-grown 
towers  and  massive  scarce-punctured  walls  of  an 
ancient  castle,  feels  a  slight  shock  of  surprise  that  it 
is  really  there.  But  the  surprise  quickly  passes ;  in  a 
brief  time,  with  the  fatal  adaptability  of  the  American, 
it  is  an  old  story,  a  habit.  He  examines  it  with  curi 
osity,  intelligent  or  vulgar,  according  to  his  rank,  but 
novelty  has  fled. 

Maundrell  Abbey  stands  in  the  very  middle  of  an 
estate  six  miles  square.     The  land  undulates  gently 

171 


American  Wives 

from  the  gates  to  the  house,  woods  on  one  side  of  the 
drive,  a  moor  on  the  other.  At  the  opposite  end  of 
the  estate  are  several  farms,  a  fell  of  great  height,  and 
several  strips  of  woods,  in  the  English  fashion.  Not 
far  from  the  Abbey,  on  a  steep  low  hill  set  with  many 
trees,  are  a  chapel  and  a  churchyard. 

As  Cecil  and  Lee  drove  toward  their  home  at  the 
close  of  an  August  day  the  bride  forgot  the  bride 
groom  in  her  eagerness  to  knit  fact  to  fancy.  The 
moor  was  turning  purple,  the  woods  close  by  were 
full  of  sunlight,  a  wonderful  shimmer  of  gold  and 
green ;  with  no  hint  that  they  too,  before  the  greed 
of  man  fell  heavily  upon  them,  may  have  been  as  dark 
and  solemn  as  the  forests  of  California.  Now  and 
again  she  had  a  glimpse  of  a  grey  pile  and  a  flash  of 
water. 

They  reached  the  top  of  a  hillock  of  some  altitude, 
and  Cecil  ordered  the  coachman  to  pause.  Lee  rose 
in  her  seat  and  looked  down  on  the  Abbey.  It  was 
quite  different  from  the  structure  in  her  brain,  but  no 
less  satisfying.  All  that  was  in  ruin  was  a  long  row 
of  Gothic  arches,  so  fragile  that  the  yellow  sunlight 
pouring  through  seemed  a  crucible  in  which  they 
must  melt.  The  rest  of  the  building  was  an  immense 
irregular  mass  at  the  back,  but  continuing  from  the 
cloisters  in  a  straight  severe  line,  which  terminated  in 
a  tower.  Weeds  and  grass  sprang  from  the  arches, 
ivy  covered  the  tower ;  before  the  Abbey  was  a  lake, 
on  which  swans  were  sailing;  peacocks  strutted  on 
the  lawns.  The  fell  behind  was  turning  red;  in  a 
field  far  away  were  many  cows ;  over  all  hung  the  low 
powdered  sky,  brooded  the  peace  and  repose,  which, 

172 
As* 


and  English  Husbands 

were  one  shot  straight  from  the  blue,  one  would  recog 
nise  as  English. 

"  It  is  the  carving  that  makes  the  cloisters  look  so 
fragile,"  said  Cecil.  "  They  will  stand  a  long  while 
yet.  The  crypt,  which  is  now  the  entrance  hall,  and 
a  stone  roof  which  once  covered  a  part  of  the  church 
and  is  now  over  the  drawing-room,  are  all  that  is  left 
of  the  original  Abbey,  except  two  stone  staircases. 
The  tower  is  Norman,  and  as  there  is  a  tradition  that 
a  Maundrell  owned  these  lands  before  the  Church, 
when  the  latter  was  despoiled,  and  Henry  VIII.  gave 
the  estate  to  another  Maundrell,  it  took  the  family 
name.  Oliver  Cromwell  left  precious  little  of  the 
Abbey,  but  it  was  rebuilt  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II., 
and  there  is  nothing  later  than  the  succeeding  reign. 
That  chapel  on  the  hill  dates  from  Henry  VIII.  only. 
We  have  service  there  on  Sundays.  Our  vault  is 
underneath.  Only  the  old  abbots  and  monks  are 
buried  in  the  graveyard.  Well?  Are  you  satisfied?" 

Lee  nodded  and  smiled.  She  was  so  well  satisfied 
that  she  hoped  to  lose  herself  in  the  pleasurable  sen 
sation  of  a  dream  realised,  and  forget  certain  disap 
pointments  and  tremors.  She  had  indulged  in  the , 
dream  of  an  enthusiastic  welcome  by  the  tenantry, 
triumphal  arches,  and  other  demonstrations  of  which 
she  had  read ;  for  Cecil  was  the  heir  of  this  splendid 
domain,  and  he  was  bringing  home  his  bride.  But 
they  had  driven  from  the  station  as  unobtrusively  as 
two  guests  invited  for  a  week's  shooting.  Tiny  had 
said  to  her  the  day  before  her  departure  for  England  : 
"  Make  up  your  mind  not  to  expect  anything  over 
there,  and  you  will  save  yourself  a  great  deal  of  dis- 

'73 


American  Wives 

appointment.  When  you  feel  a  chill  settling  over  you, 
shake  it  off  with  the  reflection  that  English  ways  are 
not  our  ways.  They  are  the  most  casual  people  in 
the  world,  and  their  hospitality,  although  genuine,  is 
so  different  from  ours,  that  it  seems  at  first  no  hospi 
tality  at  all." 

/Lee  deliberately  forced  these  words  into  her 
ihind  as  Cecil  lifted  her  from  the  carriage  and  she 
'passed  between  two  rigid  footmen  into  the  crypt 
ipf  the  Abbey.  The  vast  dim  columned  greyness 
of  the  crypt  was  beautiful  and  impressive,  and 
surely  it  was  haunted  in  the  midnight  by  indignant 
friars,  but,  save  for  the  approaching  butler,  it  was 
empty. 

'"Aren't  your  father  and  stepmother  at  home?" 
asked  Lee,  as  Cecil  joined  her. 

"  Father 's  probably  on  the  moors,  and  Emmy 
always  lies  down  in  the  afternoon,"  said  Cecil  indiffer 
ently.  "  We  '11  go  straight  up  to  my  old  rooms.  I 
hope  you  '11  like  them,  but  of  course  if  you  don  't,  you 
can  take  your  choice  of  the  others." 

They  followed  the  butler  up  an  immense  stone  stair 
case,  then  down  five  long  corridors,  whose  innumer 
able  windows  framed  so  many  different  views  of  the 
grounds  that  Lee  felt  sure  nothing  less  than  a  reel  of 
silk  would  guide  her  back  and  forth.  The  corridors 
were  lined  with  pictures  and  cabinets  and  curiosities 
of  many  centuries,  but  Lee  barely  glanced  at  them,  so 
absorbed  was  she  in  wondering  if  the  Abbey  were  a 
mile  square.  Cecil's  rooms  were  in  the  tower,  and  the 
tower  was  at  the  extreme  right  of  the  building's  front, 
but  those  corridors  appeared  to  traverse  the  entire 

174 


and  English  Husbands 

back  and  every  wing.  At  length  they  passed  under 
a  low  stone  arch,  ascended  a  spiral  stone  staircase, 
entered  a  small  stone  room  fitted  up  with  a  desk,  a 
sofa,  and  two  chairs,  and  Cecil  said : 

"  Here  we  are." 

"  Well,  I  shall  be  glad  to  rest.  Is  n't  there  a  short 
cut  to  the  grounds?  If  there  is  n't,  I  '11  have  to  take 
all  my  exercise  indoors." 

"  There  's  a  door  at  the  foot  of  the  tower.  And 
you  '11  be  a  famous  walker  this  time  next  year.  You 
Californians  are  so  lazy." 

He  opened  the  door  of  the  bedroom,  a  large  old- 
fashioned  severely-furnished  room  with  a  dressing- 
room  beyond.  Lee,  who  was  luxurious  by  nature  and 
habit,  did  not  like  it,  but  consoled  herself  with  the 
charming  landscape  beyond  the  window. 

"  Do  you  think  you  '11  like  it  up  here?  "  asked  Cecil 
anxiously.  "  I  'd  never  feel  at  home  anywhere  else. 
I  insisted  upon  these  rooms  when  I  was  a  boy,  because 
Charles  II.  hid  in  them  once  for  a  week;  but  another 
reason  why  I  like  them  now  is  because  they  are  out 
of  earshot  of  all  the  row  —  Emmy's  house-parties  are 
rather  noisy." 

"  Oh,  I  am  sure  I  shall  love  it,  and  I  like  the  idea 
of  being  quite  alone  with  you  ;  but  do  let  me  fix  them 
up  a  little ;  I  should  feel  like  a  nun." 

"  Do  anything  you  like.  And  if  that  room  is  hope 
less,  there  are  any  number  of  boudoirs  to  choose  from. 
This  is  the  only  part  of  the  Abbey  that  is  n't  full  of 
windows.  And  your  maid  will  sleep  quite  close.  We'll 
have  a  bell  put  in."  He  took  out  his  watch.  "  It 's 
just  five.  I  '11  send  you  tea  at  once,  and  then  go  and 

*75 


American  Wives 

look  up  father.  You  'd  better  lie  down  until  it 's  time 
to  dress  for  dinner." 

"  Well,  for  Heaven's  sake,  come  back  for  me,  or  I  '11 
not  move." 

Cecil  pinched  her  cheek,  kissed  her,  and  departed. 
Her  own  maid  had  refused  to  cross  the  ocean,  and 
Cecil  had  written  to  the  housekeeper  requesting  that 
a  new  one  might  await  them.  The  girl  arrived  with 
the  tea-tray,  asked  Lee  for  her  keys,  and  without 
awaiting  orders,  began  at  once  to  unpack  the  trunks 
that  had  arrived  with  the  travellers.  She  accomplished 
her  task  so  swiftly  and  so  deftly,  that  Lee,  with  a  long 
train  of  inefficient  maids  in  mind,  reflected  gratefully 
that  she  would  doubtless  be  spared  any  personal 
effort  for  the  thousand  and  one  details  which  went  to 
make  up  the  physical  comfort  she  loved. 

The  maid  laid  a  wrapper  over  the  back  of  a  chair, 
dragged  the  trunks  into  the  antechamber,  returned, 
and  courtesied. 

"  Will  your  ladyship  take  off  your  frock  and  rest 
awhile?"  she  asked. 

Lee  gave  a  little  jump.  It  was  the  first  time  she 
had  been  so  saluted.  It  made  her  feel  a  part  of  that 
ancient  tower,  she  reflected,  with  what  humour  was  in 
her  at  the  moment,  —  more  at  home.  The  maid  un 
dressed  her,  and  she  lay  down  on  the  sofa  in  the 
sitting-room  to  await  the  return  of  her  lord.  The 
maid,  remarking  that  she  should  return  at  seven  to 
dress  her  ladyship  for  dinner,  retired. 


176 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  II 

\  LTHOUGH  Lee  was  happy,  she  had  a  hard  fight 
-L~JL  with  an  attack  of  tearful  repining.  Surrounded 
all  her  life  with  demonstrative  affection,  each  home 
coming  after  a  brief  holiday  an  event  of  rejoicing 
and  elaborate  preparation,  this  chill  casual  entrance 
into  a  huge  historic  pile  —  apparently  uninhabited, 
and  as  homelike  as  a  prison  —  flooded  her  spirits  with 
an  icy  rush.  Cecil,  who  had  been  so  close  to  her, 
seemed  to  have  mounted  to  a  niche  in  the  grey  stair 
case,  and  turned  to  stone.  The  domestic  machinery 
appeared  to  run  with  the  precision  of  an  expensive 
eight-day  clock.  Were  her  future  associates  equally 
automatic?  She  remembered  the  inexcitable  Mr. 
Maundrell,  and  shuddered.  Perhaps  even  "  Emmy" 
by  this  time  was  a  mere  machine,  warranted  to  have 
hysterics  at  certain  intervals.  Surely  a  woman  who 
would  not  sacrifice  her  routine  to  receive  a  petted 
stepson  after  two  years'  absence  and  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land  —  and  so  important  an  addition  to  the 
family  as  her  daughter-in-law  —  must  be  painfully 
systematised. 

"  However,"  thought  Lee,  curling  herself  down  in 

the  hope  of  a  nap,  "  I  can  hold  my  own,  that  is  one 

comfort.     Thank  Heaven,  I  have  been  brought  up  all 

my  life  to  think  myself  somebody,  and  that  I  have 

12  I77 


American  Wives 

plenty  of  money ;  it  would  be  tragic  if  I  were  a  timid, 
nervous,  portionless  little  person." 

She  heard  a  light  step,  and  the  agreeable  sibila- 
tion  of  linings  and  flounces.  In  a  second  she  had  run 
to  the  mirror  in  her  bedroom.  Her  hair  was  smooth, 
and  the  wrapper  of  white  camel's  hair  and  blue  vel 
vet  sufficiently  enhancing.  There  was  colour  in  her 
cheeks,  and  the  only  suggestion  of  fatigue  came  from 
a  vague  shadow  beneath  her  lashes.  She  felt  that 
she  had  nothing  to  fear  from  the  critical  eyes  of  the 
other  woman. 

"May  I  come  in?"  Lady  Barnstaple  had  rapped 
and  opened  the  door  simultaneously.  "  How  do  you 
do?  Are  you  tired?  You  look  abominably  fresh. 
And  how  tall  you  are !  I  thought  you'd  be  in  a 
wrapper,  so  I  didn't  send  for  you.  Lie  down  again, 
and  I'll  sit  here.  These  chairs  are  stuffed  with  bricks." 

She  was  a  short  woman,  with  a  still  beautiful  figure 
above  the  waist ;  it  was  growing  massive  below.  Her 
colouring  was  nondescript,  but  her  features  must  once 
have  been  delicate  and  piquant ;  now  they  were  sharp, 
and  there  were  fine  lines  about  the  eyes,  and  weak 
determined  mouth.  Her  cheeks  were  charmingly 
painted,  her  hair  elaborately  coiffed;  she  wore  an 
airy  tea-gown  of  black  chiffon,  with  pink  bows,  in 
which  she  looked  like  a  smart  fluffy  doll.  Her  car 
riage,  short  as  she  was,  would  have  been  impressive 
had  it  not  been  for  the  restlessness  of  her  manner. 
If  she  had  come  to  England  with  a  Chicago  accent, 
she  had  sent  it  home  long  since.  Her  voice  was 
abrupt  and  unpleasing,  but  its  syllabic  presentment 
was  wholly  English,  and  her  manner  was  curiously 

178 


and  English  Husbands 

like  an  Englishwoman's  affectation  of  American  anima 
tion.  Her  eyes,  for  some  time  after  she  entered  the 
room,  had  the  round  vacant  stare  of  a  newly-arrived 
infant.  When  the  exigencies  of  conversation  removed 
this  stare,  they  flashed  with  the  nervous  irritable 
domineering  character  of  the  woman.  It  was  some 
time  before  they  were  removed  from  Lee's  face  for  an 
instant.  Lee  was  tired,  but  she  obeyed  the  instinct 
of  the  savage  who  scents  a  fight,  and  sat  upright. 

"  You  won't  stay  in  this  hole,  of  course  —  one  might 
as  well  live  in  a  dungeon  —  there  is  one  at  the  bottom 
of  the  tower,  for  that  matter.  In  the  only  letter  that 
Cecil  condescended  to  write  me  after  his  engagement, 
he  said  he  wanted  his  old  rooms  to  be  ready  for  him, 
and  he  hoped  I  would  n't  put  any  guests  in  them.  But 
of  course  you  can't  stand  them.  Fancy  not  being  able 
to  turn  round  without  falling  over  a  man  !  You  'd  be 
at  each  other's  throats  in  a  week." 

"  Is  n't  there  another  room  underneath  these  that  I 
could  fix  up  as  a  sitting-room?  I  like  this  tower." 

"  Fancy,  now !  I  believe  there  is  a  lumber-room, 
or  something;  but  what  can  you  do  with  a  tower- 
room  with  walls  five  feet  thick,  and  such  windows? 
Of  course  I  don't  know  your  tastes,  but  I  must  have 
fluffy  airy  things  in  bright  colours  about  me,  and 
floods  of  light  —  through  pink  shades,  nowadays," 
she  added,  with  a  bitter  little  laugh.  "  What  a  lovely 
complexion  you  have  !  I  had  one  too,  once,  but  it 's 
gone  !  —  it 's  gone  !  I  don't  know  whether  I  'm 
pleased  or  not  that  you  're  a  beauty.  Barnstaple 
assured  me  that  it  was  impossible  you  could  be, 
that  Cecil  must  be  mad  —  the  English  children  are 

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American  Wives 

so  pretty;  but  I  thought  it  unlikely  that  Cecil  would 
sacrifice  his  chances  of  a  fortune  for  anything  less 
than  downright  beauty.  Of  course  you  '11  be  a  great 
card  for  me.  I  can  make  out  a  lot  of  you ;  but  on 
the  other  hand  it 's  disgusting  having  anything  so  fresh 
forever  at  one's  elbow.  Repose  is  not  the  fashion 
now,  and  of  course  you  are  a  bit  of  a  prude  —  young 
married  women  who  are  in  love  with  their  husbands 
are  always  so  fiercely  virtuous  !  —  and  of  course  you 
have  n't  half  enough  money ;  but  I  can  see  that  you 
will  be  a  success.  We  all  know  that  you  're  clever, 
and  they  like  clever  people  over  here,  and  your  voice 
is  n't  nasal  —  it 's  really  lovely.  It 's  a  thousand 
pities  —  a  thousand  pities  that  you  could  n't  bring 
Cecil  a  fortune  !  "  Her  voice  gave  a  sudden  queru 
lous  break.  "  He  could  have  had  one  —  probably 
a  dozen  —  for  the  asking,  and  I  think  the  Abbey 
should  have  been  his  first  consideration.  He  won't 
inherit  a  penny  from  Barnstaple,  and  Heaven  knows 
what  I  '11  have  left !  He  can't  possibly  keep  it  up 
on  what  you  and  he  have  together  —  your  house  in 
town  will  take  every  penny  —  and  he  '11  either  have 
to  break  the  entail  and  sell  it,  or  rent  the  moor,  and 
cut  the  rest  up  into  farms,  and  perhaps  let  the  Abbey 
itself.  I  should  turn  in  my  grave,  for  the  Abbey  is 
the  one  real  love  of  my  life  —  " 

Her  restless  eyes  had  been  moving  about  the 
room ;  they  suddenly  met  her  daughter-in-law's.  Lee 
had  very  beautiful  eyes,  but  they  were  capable  of  a 
blue-hot  flame  of  passion  at  times.  Lady  Barnstaple 
blinked  rapidly;  her  own  seemed  scorching  under 
that  blue-fire. 

1 80 


and  English  Husbands 

"  Oh,  of  course,  it  does  n't  signify !  Nothing  really 
signifies  in  this  world.  I  really  did  n't  mean  to  be 
nasty,  but  I  always  flare  up  when  the  Abbey  is  in 
question  —  and  then  that  old  superstition  !  —  But 
bother !  I  really  want  to  be  nice !  Do  tell  me 
about  your  clothes.  If  you  had  sent  me  a  lining 
I  could  have  ordered  everything  for  you  in  Paris. 
I  should  n't  have  minded  running  over  a  bit." 

"  My  things  were  made  in  New  York,  and  will 
probably  answer." 

"  Oh,  of  course!  New  York's  every  bit  as  smart 
as  Paris,  only  it  eats  your  head  off.  Have  you  many 
jewels?" 

"  Very  few  —  compared  with  the  shop-window 
decorations  of  New  York  and  English  women." 

"  We  do  overload  ourselves,"  said  Lady  Barnstaple 
amiably.  "  I  Ve  seen  women  turn  actually  grey 
under  the  weight  of  their  tiaras.  Still,  unless  you 
blaze  at  a  great  party,  you  are  simply  not  seen.  But 
of  course  the  Barnstaple  jewels  are  mine  till  I  die, 
and  I  sold  all  my  own  after  having  them  copied; 
you  could  wear  some  of  those  if  you  liked,  although, 
being  fresh  from  the  other  side,  you  'd  probably 
scorn  imitations." 

"  I  certainly  should." 

"  Oh,  you  '11  get  over  all  that !  We  are  all  shams 
nowadays." 

"  You  are  certainly  frank  enough." 

"  A  mere  habit  —  a  fashion.  Everybody  shouts  all 
he  knows  just  now.  We  even  talk  of  things  at  the 
table  that  would  quite  shock  —  Chicago,  for  instance. 
And  as  for  your  poor  little  San  Francisco  —  there  are 

181 


American  Wives 

the  most  amusing  points  of  resemblance  between  the 
Americans  and  the  English  middle-class." 

"  Then  perhaps  you  would  not  mind  telling  me  if 
you  would  have  taken  the  trouble  to  meet  us  this 
afternoon  if  I  had  brought  a  million  with  me." 

"  Dear  me,  no ;  not  if  you  had  arrived  at  such  an 
unearthly  hour.  I  assure  you  I  did  not  intend  to  be 
rude,  but  I  always  sleep  from  half  after  four  to  half 
after  five.  I  don't  take  my  tea  with  the  others." 

"  And  there  would  have  been  no  demonstration, 
I  suppose." 

"  Well  —  yes,  frankly,  perhaps  there  would  have 
been.  Barnstaple  did  say  something  about  it,  but  I 
told  him  I  could  n't  think  of  affording  it,  and  I 
couldn't.  Don't  be  bitter  about  it;  but  we  need 
money  —  money  —  money  so  horribly." 

"  I  am  not  bitter  in  the  least.  I  merely  asked  out 
of  curiosity." 

"Oh,  my  dear,  when  one  is  young  and  beautiful 
one  would  be  a  fool  to  be  bitter  about  anything. 
You  probably  think  me  a  devil,  but  if  you  knew  what 
my  life  has  been  !  To-day  I  ;m  in  one  of  my  moods. 
I'm  sorry  it  happened  so,  and  I  hate  myself  for  be 
ing  nasty,  but  I  can't  help  it.  I  have  n't  any  particu 
lar  reason  for  being;  they  just  come  down  on  me, 
and  I  want  to  scratch  everybody's  eyes  out.  I  may 
be  as  cheerful  as  a  lark,  and  as  amiable  as  a  kitten 
for  a  week.  You  have  no  idea  what  a  popular  little 
person  I  am !  " 

Lee's  anger  had  passed,  giving  way  to  a  com 
mingling  of  curiosity,  disgust  and  pity.  Was  this  a 
sample  of  engrafted  America?  She  asked  if  there 

182 


and  English  Husbands 

were   any  other   English-Americans   staying  at  the 
Abbey. 

Lady  Barnstaple  scowled,  and  the  scowl  routed 
what  little  youth  she  had  left.  "  I  'm  not  on  speaking 
terms  with  a  single  American  but  yourself  and  Lady 
Arrowmount,  and  I  barely  know  her.  I  adore  the 
English,  but  the  jealousy  and  rivalry  of  other  Amer 
icans  !  But  I  'm  sent  in  ahead  of  the  ones  I  hate 
most !  I  am  !  —  I  am  !  It 's  been  war  to  the  knife 
between  three  of  us  for  years  now,  and  I  Ve  got  to 
go  under,  because  I  have  n  't  the  money  to  smash 
'em.  That  is  one  reason  why  I  'm  a  bit  off  my  head 
about  Cecil  not  having  married  a  million.  With  a 
rich  and  beautiful —  But  here  comes  your  maid.  I 
must  go  to  mine.  I  '11  swear  you  shall  think  me  an 
angel  to-morrow." 


183 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  III 

LEE  found  no  time  to  think  that  night.     As  soon 
as  her  maid  had  left  her,  Cecil  entered  from 
his  dressing-room  and  said  that  his  father  would  like 
to  see  her  for  a  moment  before  they  joined  the  guests 
in  the  library. 

"  I  saw  Emmy  for  a  few  minutes,  and  she  said  she 
had  been  to  see  you  —  and  many  complimentary 
things." 

"  How  kind  of  her !  " 

"  Did  n't  you  like  her?    Most  people  do." 

"  It 's  not  polite  to  criticise  your  relations,  but  I 
may  be  excused,  as  she  is  my  countrywoman  first.  I 
have  been  carefully  brought  up,  and  I  never  before 
met  that  sort  of  American.  Of  course  the  Middle 
West  is  very  new,  and  it  is  hardly  fair  to  criticise  it, 
but  I  should  think  twenty  years  or  so  of  England 
would  have  done  something  more  than  remove  her 
accent" 

Cecil  smiled.  "  American  women  are  so  popular  in 
England  that  I  fancy  they  grow  more  and  more 
American  as  the  years  go  by.  I  don't  know  much 
about  it." 

"  It  is  rather  odd  having  to  stand  just  behind  a 
stepmother  whom  I  should  n't  think  of  knowing  at 
home." 

184 


and  English  Husbands 

"  Of  course  there  are  no  distinctions  in  regard  to 
Americans  over  here ;  it  is  all  personality  and  money. 
Emmy  has  n't  much  of  the  first  in  a  large  sense,  but 
she  knows  how  to  make  herself  popular.  People  find 
her  likeable  and  amusing —  even  the  women,  because, 
of  course,  she  is  so  different  from  themselves ;  and 
she  is  really  the  best-hearted  little  creature  in  the 
world.  I  see  you  don't  like  her,  but  wait  a  little; 
perhaps  she  was  nervous  to-day." 

"  I  am  not  going  to  be  so  commonplace  as  to  quar 
rel  with  my  mother-in-law,  but  I  certainly  shall  not 
like  her.  As  you  would  say,  she  is  not  my  own  sort." 

"Neither  am  I,"  said  Cecil  laughing,  "  but  you  like 
me." 

"  We  represent  the  fusion  of  the  two  greatest  na 
tions  on  earth.  Why  do  not  you  tell  me  that  I  am 
looking  particularly  well?" 

They  were  traversing  one  of  the  long  corridors. 
Cecil  glanced  uneasily  about,  then  put  his  arm  round 
her  and  kissed  her. 

"  I  am  doing  my  best  to  live  up  to  the  American 
standard,  and  tell  you  once  a  day  how  much  I  love 
you,  and  how  beautiful  you  are.  When  do  you  think 
you  will  take  it  for  granted  ?  " 

"  Never !  never !     Are  you  proud  of  me  to-night?  " 

"  You  never  looked  lovelier  —  except  when  we 
were  married.  You  nearly  knocked  me  over  then." 

"  What  a  pity  I  can't  wear  a  wedding-veil  on  all 
state  occasions." 

"  I  have  a  suspicion  that  as  you  are  a  bride  you 
should  wear  white  for  a  time." 

"  All  my  day  summer  frocks  are  white,  and  I  simply 
'85 


American  Wives 

won't  wear  it  at  night     I  shall  take  full  advantage  of 
the  fact  that  I  am  an  American." 

She  wore  a  wonderful  gown  of  flame-coloured 
gauze,  more  golden  than  red,  and  so  full  of  shimmer 
and  sheen,  that  she  had  reflected,  with  some  malice, 
it  would  outblaze  all  of  Lady  Barnstaple's  jewels, 
and  had  concluded  to  wear  none. 

"  To-morrow  and  the  next  day  I  am  going  out  with 
the  other  men,  and  you  are  coming  to  luncheon  with 
us  on  the  moor  —  at  least  Emmy  and  the  others  gen 
erally  come  when  the  weather  is  fine :  but  on  Sunday 
I'll  show  you  over  the  Abbey.  I'd  like  to  do  it 
myself,  but  I  'm  afraid  we  can't  get  into  the  state 
bedrooms  until  the  guests  are  gone." 

"  Are  they  in  the  rooms  that  kings  and  queens  and 
all  the  rest  have  slept  in?" 

"  You  are  improving.  How  is  it  you  did  n't  say 
'  kings  and  queens  and  things '  ?  I'm  afraid  they  are. 
This  house  is  all  corridors  and  rooms  for  entertaining 
and  boudoirs;  there  are  not  more  than  twenty-five 
bedrooms.  Here  we  are." 

They  entered  a  small  room  furnished  as  a  study, 
and  Lord  Barnstaple  entered  from  the  adjoining  bed 
room  almost  immediately.  He  looked  rather  more 
impassive  and  rather  more  cynical,  but  hardly  ten 
years  older.  His  monocle  might  never  have  been 
removed.  Somewhat  to  Lee's  surprise,  he  not  only 
kissed  her,  but  shook  her  warmly  by  the  hand. 

"  So  another  American  is  my  fate,  after  all,"  he 
said.  "  You  see,  I  suspected  as  much  the  day  I  left. 
Have  you  ever  had  hysterics?  " 

"  Never ! " 

186 


and  English  Husbands 

"  I  almost  hope  you  have  a  temper —  oh,  you  have, 
you  have,  with  those  eyes  !  "  He  chuckled.  "  Turn 
it  loose  on  her  !  Give  it  to  her !  Gad  !  but  I  'd  like 
to  see  her  well  trounced !  She  does  n't  mind  me, 
but  you  're  a  woman,  and  young,  and  beautiful,  and 
—  nearly  twice  her  height.  Gad !  how  she  '11  hate 
you!  But  trounce  her — trounce  her!  Don't  give 
her  any  quarter  ?  " 

Cecil  laughed.  "  Why  do  you  sow  these  seeds  of 
discord  in  the  family  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  '11  keep  out  of  the  way.  But  fancy  Emmy 
limp  and  worn  out,  and  not  daring  to  call  her  soul 
her  own  !  'T  would  be  the  happiest  day  of  my  life  ! 
But  I  'm  famished." 

They  entered  the  library  only  a  moment  before 
dinner  was  announced.  It  was  a  very  long  room 
breaking  the  series  of  corridors,  and  only  three  times 
their  width.  Its  panelling  was  black,  and  its  books 
appeared  to  be  musty  with  age;  above  the  high 
cases  were  many  Maundrells ;  even  the  furniture 
looked  as  ancient  as  the  Abbey.  But  flooding  all 
was  a  pink  glare  of  electric  light. 

The  room  was  full  of  people,  who  regarded  the 
bride  with  descriptive  curiosity.  Lady  Barnstaple 
was  flitting  about,  her  expression  in  perfect  order, 
her  superlatively  smart  French  gown  quivering  with 
animation.  She  came  at  once  toward  Lee,  followed 
by  a  tall  good-looking  young  man,  whom  she  pre 
sented  as  Captain  Monmouth. 

"  What  a  love  of  a  gown  !  I  'm  so  glad  you  know 
how  to  dress  !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  You  are  to  go  in 
with  Miss  Fix,"  she  added  to  her  stepson. 

187 


American  Wives 

Cecil  drew  his  brows  together.  "  Why  do  you 
send  me  in  with  Miss  Fix?"  he  muttered  angrily. 
"  You  know  she  bores  me  to  death." 

"  To  punish  you  for  not  marrying  her.  You  can't 
get  out  of  it;  she  expects  you." 

Lee  overheard  the  conversation.  So  did  Lord 
Barnstaple,  who  was  laughing  softly  at  his  son's  dis 
comfiture.  She  had  no  time  to  question  him,  for 
they  went  down  at  once  to  dinner,  and  his  attention 
for  a  time  was  claimed  by  the  woman  on  his  left. 
Cecil  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  table,  some  eight 
or  ten  seats  down.  Lee  studied  his  partner  atten 
tively  while  talking  with  Captain  Monmouth,  who 
sat  on  her  right. 

The  immense  room  looked  like  the  banqueting  hall 
of  kings,  but,  so  far  as  Lee  could  judge  —  and  she 
had  one  half  of  the  guests  within  her  visual  range  — 
the  young  woman  with  the  dreadful  name  looked 
more  the  traditionally  cold  haughty  aristocrat,  for 
whom  such  rooms  were  built,  than  any  one  present. 
The  others  appeared  to  have  nothing  of  the  massive 
repose  of  their  caste ;  they  seemed,  in  fact,  to  vie 
with  each  other  in  animation,  and  they  certainly 
talked  very  loud  and  very  fast.  But  Miss  Fix  had 
that  air  of  arrested  development  peculiar  to  the  best 
statuary.  Her  skin  was  as  white  as  the  tablecloth, 
her  profile  was  mathematically  straight,  suggesting  an 
antique  marble  or  a  sheep.  Her  small  flaxen  head 
was  held  very  high,  and  her  eyelids  had  the  most 
aristocratic  droop  that  Lee  had  ever  conceived  of. 

"Who  is  she?"  the  bride  asked  her  companion, 
who  appeared  to  be  an  easy  and  untraditional  person. 

188 


and  English  Husbands 

"  And  why  is  she  so  different  from  the  rest  —  with 
that  name?  She  looks  like  one  of  Ouida's  heroines 
—  the  quite  impossible  ones." 

Captain  Monmouth  laughed.  "  Her  father  was  a 
brewer,  disgustingly  rich.  Her  parents  are  dead. 
She  and  her  brother  —  dreadful  bounder  —  have  been 
trying  to  get  into  Society  for  years  —  only  been  really 
successful  the  last  three.  Lady  Barnstaple  took  'em 
up,  for  some  reason  or  other.  She  's  usually  rather 
nasty  to  new  people.  Only  girl,  and  has  three  mil 
lions,  but  does  n't  marry  and  is  n't  popular  —  scarcely 
opens  her  mouth,  and  has  never  been  known  to  un 
bend.  Fancy  it 's  rather  on  her  mind  that  she  was  n't 
born  into  the  right  set.  So  she  fakes  it  for  all  it 's 
worth,  as  you  Americans  would  say.  I  do  like 
American  slang.  Can  you  teach  me  some  ?  " 

"  I  know  more  than  I  Ve  ever  dared  to  use,  and 
you  shall  have  it  all,  as  my  husband  disapproves  of 
it.  I  think  Miss  Fix  has  done  rather  well.  She  is 
what  we  would  call  a  good  '  bluffer.' " 

"Quite  so  —  quite  so.  The  women  say  all  sorts 
of  nasty  things  about  her  —  that  all  that  white  is  put 
on  with  a  brush  or  a  sponge  or  something,  as  well  as 
that  haughty  nostril;  and  that  she  has  had  the 
muscles  cut  in  her  eyelids  —  ghastly  thought,  ain't 
it?  Nature  gave  her  that  profile,  of  course;  can't 
have  the  bridge  of  your  nose  raised  —  can  you  ?  — 
even  with  three  millions.  It 's  the  profile  that  made 
all  the  trouble,  I  fancy.  She  's  livin'  up  to  it.  Must 
be  deuced  aggravatin'  to  be  born  with  a  cameo  pro 
file  and  a  Lancashire  accent.  No  wonder  she 's 

r  »  —       ___  _       ^»-"a" 

frozen. 

189 


American  Wives 

"Has  she  got  rid  of  the  accent?" 

"  Oh,  rather  !  She  was  educated  in  Paris  with  a  lot 
of  swagger  French  girls.  She 's  quite  correct  —  in  a 
prehistoric  way  —  only  she  overdoes  it." 

His  attention  was  claimed  by  the  woman  on  his 
other  side,  and  Lee  asked  Lord  Barnstaple : 

"  What  did  Lady  Barnstaple  mean  ?  Did  she  want 
Cecil  to  marry  that  Miss  Fix?" 

"  Did  n't  she  !  She  never  worked  so  hard  for  any 
thing  in  her  life.  She  was  ill  for  two  weeks  after 
Cecil  went  off.  It  would  n't  have  been  a  bad  thing. 
I  'd  have  wanted  it  myself  if  she  had  n't.  I  like  you  — 
always  did  —  but  I  wish  to  gad  you  had  more  money  ! 
Don't  you  think  you  '11  discover  a  gold  mine  on  that 
ranch  of  yours  some  day?" 

Lee  laughed,  although  the  sensation  of  dismay  in 
duced  by  Lady  Barnstaple's  visit  returned  at  his  words. 
"  I  'm  afraid  not.  Sulphur  and  arsenic  and  iron  are 
as  much  as  can  be  expected  of  one  poor  little  ranch." 

"  Perhaps  we  can  sell  the  springs  to  a  syndicate  — 
who  knows?  Syndicates  are  always  buyin'  things  and 
givin'  seven  riggers  for  'em.  I  '11  tell  you  what  we  '11 
do.  The  next  old  Jew  or  brewer  that  wants  to  get 
into  Society  we  '11  send  for  and  tell  him  that  the  ranch 
at  seven  riggers  is  our  price  for  a  week's  shooting  at 
the  Abbey  and  three  dinners  in  town,"  and  he  gave 
his  ungenial  chuckle. 

"  You  are  n't  all  really  as  bad  as  that  over  here,  are 
you?" 

"  Oh,  we  're  mixed,  like  you  Americans.  We  're  all 
right  so  long  as  we  don't  need  money ;  but,  you  see, 
we  need  such  a  cursed  lot  of  it  —  several  thousand 

190 


and  English  Husbands 

times  more  than  the  nobodies  who  sit  outside  and 
criticise  us.  It 's  in  our  blood,  and  when  we  can't  get 
it  one  way  we  try  another.  We  all  cling  to  certain 
ideals,  though :  I  Ve  never  gambled  with  a  parvenu. 
It's  true  I  made  an  ass  of  myself  and  married  one, 
but  I  pulled  up  just  after.  Miss  Fix  is  the  only  other 
that  has  got  inside  my  doors.  That 's  the  one  point 
Emmy  and  I  agree  on :  I  have  my  ideals " —  he 
laughed  again — "and,  like  all  upstarts,  she  despises 
other  upstarts.  Monmouth  is  the  only  person  in  the 
house  except  Miss  Fix  without  an  hereditary  title,  and 
he 's  grandson  of  a  duke,  and  a  Guardsman.  Some 
of  the  smartest  women  of  the  day  are  untitled,  but 
Emmy  won't  have  'em.  Wonder  who  she  '11  have 
this  time  five  years? —  Second-rate  actors  and  long 
haired  poets,  probably." 

Lee  wondered  at  even  a  dilapidated  set  of  ideals, 
and  at  a  pride  —  and  pride  was  written  all  over  him  — 
which  would  permit  him  to  live  on  a  woman's  money. 
Of  course  he  may  have  argued  that  Lady  Barnstaple 
was  paying  a  fair  yearly  rent  for  the  title  and  the 
Abbey,  but  it  was  an  old-world  view-point,  to  which 
it  would  take  a  long  period  of  habit  to  accustom  the 
new.  She  wondered  if  she  had  any  right  to  despise  a 
man  who  was  a  mere  result  of  a  civilisation  so  differ 
ent  from  her  own,  but  felt  unindulgent.  In  the  United 
States,  if  a  penniless  man  married  for  money,  he  had 
the  decency  to  affect  the  habit  of  the  worker,  if  it  were 
only  to  write  alleged  poems  for  the  magazines,  or  to 
attach  himself  to  a  Legation. 

After  dinner  she  went  with  the  women  into  another 
immense  room,  also  panelled  to  the  ceiling.  Each 

191 


American  Wives 

panel  was  set  with  a  portrait,  several  of  which  she 
knew  at  a  glance  to  be  the  originals  of  bygone  mas 
ters.  Their  flesh  tints  were  uniformly  pink:  Lee 
glanced  upward.  The  stone  ceiling,  arched  and 
heavily  carved,  was  set  with  electric  pears.  It  was  an 
irritating  anomaly. 

Lee  thought  the  women  looked  very  nice,  and  won 
dered  if  she  was  ever  to  be  introduced  to  anybody. 
Emmy  was  flitting  about  again  —  rather  the  upper  part 
of  her  seemed  to  flit  as  if  propelled  by  the  somewhat 
unwieldy  machinery  below.  She  looked  indubitably 
common,  despite  her  acquired  "  air  "  and  the  exquisite 
taste  of  her  millinery ;  and  Lee  wondered  what  these 
women  —  who,  well-dressed  or  ill,  loud-voiced  or 
semi-subdued,  delicately  or  heavily  modelled  of  face, 
intensely  modern  all  of  them,  looked  what  they 
were,  and  as  if  they  assumed  the  passing  fad  in  man 
ners,  even  the  fad  of  vulgarity,  as  easily  and  adjustably 
as  a  new  sleeve  or  a  larger  waist  —  could  find  in  this 
particular  American  to  their  fancy. 

"  Do  sit  here  by  me !  "  A  young  woman  on  a 
small  sofa  swept  aside  her  skirts  and  nodded  brightly 
to  Lee.  She  had  sat  opposite  at  dinner,  and  spoken 
across  the  table  several  times  to  Captain  Monmouth, 
whom  she  addressed  as  "  Larry."  She  had  a  large 
open  voice  and  a  large  open  laugh,  and,  to  use  an 
unforgettable  term  of  Lord  Barnstaple's,  she  rather 
sprawled.  But  she  was  exquisitely  fine  of  feature 
and  cold  of  colouring,  although  charged  straight  up 
through  her  lithe  figure  with  assumed  animation  or 
ungoverned  nervousness,  Lee  could  not  determine 
which.  The  bride  sat  down  at  once. 

192 


and  English  Husbands 

"You  are  Lady  Mary  Gifford,"  she  said  smiling. 
"I  asked  Captain  Monmouth  who  you  were." 

"  Oh,  did  you  ask  who  I  was?  How  nice  !  I  wish 
everybody  in  the  room  was  talking  about  me  as  they 
are  about  you.  But  my  day  for  that  is  past.  Would 
you  guess  I  was  twenty- four?" 

Lee  shook  her  head,  smiling.  In  spite  of  the  per 
sistent  depression  within  her,  she  found  her  new 
friends  very  interesting. 

"  Twenty-four,  not  married,  and  only  sixty  pounds 
a  year  to  dress  on !  Is  n't  it  a  tragedy  ?  I  wish  I 
were  an  American.  They  're  all  so  frightfully  rich. 
At  least,  all  those  are  that  come  over  here;  they 
would  n't  dare  to  come  if  they  were  n't." 

"I  have  dared,  and  I  am  not  —  not  as  you  count 
riches." 

"  No  —  really  now?  But  of  course  you  're  joking, 
Cecil  Maundrell  simply  had  to  marry  a  ton " 

Lee  laughed,  with  a  nearer  approach  to  hysteria 
than  she  had  ever  known.  "Would  you  mind  not 
talking  about  that?  "  she  said.  "  If  ever  I  know  you 
as  well  as  I  hope  I  shall,  I  '11  tell  you  why." 

"  Fancy  my  being  so  rude  !  But  I  'm  quite  horribly 
outspoken,  and  Cecil  Maundrell 's  so  good-looking,  of 
course  he 's  been  discussed  threadbare.  Of  course  we 
all  knew  the  Abbey  must  go  to  another  American, 
and  we  Ve  been  so  anxious  to  see  you.  Emmy  is  a 
duck,  but  she 's  not  a  beauty —  few  Americans  really 
are,  to  my  mind.  They  just  '  chic  it '  as  the  French 
painters  say.  Everybody  is  simply  staring  at  you, 
and  you  're  so  used  to  it,  you  don't  appear  to  see  them. 

13  193 


American  Wives 

You  're  going  to  be  a  great  success.  I  know  all  the 
signs  —  seen  'em  too  often  !  " 

"  Well,  I  hope  so.  I  suppose  an  American  failure 
would  be  painfully  conspicuous." 

"  Oh,  wouldn't  she  !  Tell  me,  is  it  really  true  that 
you  have  different  grades  of  society,  as  we  have  —  an 
upper  and  middle-class,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing? 
Some  of  the  Americans  over  here  have  always  turned 
up  their  noses  at  Emmy,  and  it  seems  so  very  odd  — 
you  are  only  a  day  or  two  old ;  how  can  you  have  so 
many  distinctions?  Of  course  I  know  that  some  are 
rich  and  some  are  poor,  which  means  that  some  are 
educated  and  some  are  not,  but  I  should  think  that 
would  make  just  two  classes.  But  Emmy  is  —  has 
been  —  awfully  rich,  and  yet  she  has  had  a  hard  fight 
with  two  or  three  other  Americans  that  are  dead 
against  her.  She  has  n't  it  in  her,  poor  little  soul,  to 
be  quite  as  smart  as  Lady  Vernon  Spencer  and  Mrs. 
Almeric  Sturt  —  you  could  be  !  —  but  she  's  '  popular,' 
and  unless  the  Abbey  burns  down  —  oh,  it  's  the 
sweetest  thing  in  England,  and  the  shootings  are 
famous !  But  do  explain  to  me." 

"About  our  social  differences?  Of  course  to  be 
really  anybody  you  must  have  come  from  the  South, 
one  way  or  another." 

"  What  South  ?  —  South  America  ?  " 

Lee  endeavoured  to  explain,  but  Lady  Mary  quickly 
lost  interest,  and  made  one  of  her  dazzling  deflections : 
it  war  evident  that  more  than  three  minutes  of  any 
one  subject  would  bore  her  hopelessly.  But  Lee  had 
realised  in  a  flash  the  utter  indifference  of  the  English 
to  vhe  most  imposing  of  the  new  world's  family  trees. 

194 


and  English  Husbands 

The  haughty  Southerner  and  the  raw  Westerner  were 
"  varieties,"  nothing  more.  She  might  be  pronounced 
better  style  than  her  stepmother,  and  doubtless  would 
be  more  respected,  but  no  one  would  ever  think  of 
looking  down  the  perspective  of  each  for  the  cause. 
She  felt  doubly  depressed. 


'95 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  IV 

SHE  awoke  late  next  morning,  after  a  restless  night. 
Cecil  had  risen  without  disturbing  her  and  gone 
to  his  grouse.  In  a  happier  frame  of  mind  she  would 
have  indulged  in  a  sentimental  regret  at  this  defection, 
but  now  she  only  wanted  to  be  alone  to  think ;  and  to 
think  she  must  get  out-of-doors. 

,  The  maid  was  in  the  outer  room  awaiting  orders, 
and  went  for  her  tea  at  once.  Lee  hurriedly  dressed 
herself,  and  while  she  was  attacking  her  light  break 
fast  told  the  girl  to  go  down  to  the  foot  of  the  tower 
and  see  if  the  outer  door  could  be  opened.  At  the 
end  of  a  half-hour  the  rusty  key  and  hinges  had  been 
induced  to  move,  and  Lee,  having  convinced  herself 
that  no  one  was  in  sight,  left  the  shelter  of  her  tower 
and  went  hastily  toward  the  woods. 

The  air  had  a  wonderful  softness  and  freshness,  and 
the  country  showed  a  dull  richness  of  colour  under  a 
pale  sky.  The  woods  looked  black  as  she  approached 
them,  but  within  they  were  open  and  full  of  light. 
There  were  no  majestic  aisles  here,  no  cavernous 
vistas,  but,  in  their  way,  they  were  lovely,  as  many 
trees  massed  together  with  a  wilderness  of  bracken 
between  must  always  be. 

Lee  selected  as  secluded  a  spot  as  she  could  find, 
and  sat  down  to  think.  She  was  terrified  and  depressed 

196 


and  English  Husbands 

and  homesick,  and  longed  passionately  for  some  one 
of  her  "  own  sort "  to  whom  she  could  present  the  half 
of  her  troubles,  and  with  whom  dissect  her  uneasy 
forebodings.  Cecil  was  not  the  man  to  whom  a  woman 
could  take  her  daily  worries.  He  would  be  a  rock  of 
strength  in  the  great  primary  afflictions  of  life;  he 
looked  after  her  as  carefully  as  if  she  were  blind  and 
lame ;  and  she  had  not  been  called  upon  for  an  inde 
pendent  decision  since  the  day  of  her  marriage.  More 
over,  she  was  firmly  convinced  that  no  man  had  ever 
loved  a  woman  so  much  before ;  but,  she  had  admitted 
it  with  dismay  more  than  once,  there  was  a  barrier. 
It  was  humiliating,  almost  ridiculous,  that  she,  Lee 
Tarleton,  should  live  to  confess  it,  but  she  was  just  a 
little  in  awe  of  her  husband.  Why,  she  had  not  been 
able  to  guess  until  yesterday,  for  he  had  been  the 
most  enamoured  of  bridegrooms ;  he  had  even  yielded 
laughingly  to  more  than  one  whim  (tentative,  each), 
and  he  had  been  rather  less  high  and  mighty  than 
before  marriage;  but,  and  he  had  given  her  many 
opportunities  to  look  into  him,  at  the  end  of  each  of 
his  vistas  there  was  something  terrifyingly  like  a  blank 
wall.  It  had  not  worried  her  deeply  in  the  redwoods, 
where  she  had  been  as  happy  as  mortals  ever  are,  nor 
yet  on  their  long  journey  home,  monotonous  and. 
uninteresting  as  it  had  been,  but  she  had  instinctively 
refrained  from  talking  over  her  own  small  affairs  with 
him,  as  had  been  her  habit  with  Randolph  and  the 
other  members  of  her  family ;  and  it  was  not  until  the 
flat  disappointment  of  the  drive  from  the  station 
yesterday,  that  she  had  suspected  what  this  depriva 
tion  would  mean  to  her. 

197 


American  Wives 

And  it  was  not  until  she  had  looked  down  upon  the 
Abbey  that  she  had  begun  to  understand.  Centuries 
had  gone  to  the  welding  together  of  Cecil  Maundrell, 
and  he  was  as  coherent  and  unmalleable  as  the  walls 
of  his  historic  home,  as  aloof  in  spirit,  as  self-contained 
as  if  he  no  more  had  mingled  with  men  than  had  the 
Abbey  altered  its  expression  to  the  loud  restless  fads 
with  which  it  so  often  resounded.  His  wife  might  be 
the  object  of  his  most  passionate  affection,  she  might 
even  be  his  companion,  for  he  was  the  man  to  satisfy 
the  wants  of  his  nature,  but  it  was  doubtful  if  he  was 
capable  of  opening  the  inner  temple  of  his  spirit,  had 
such  a  thing  ever  occurred  to  him.  He  would  want 
so  much  of  a  woman,  and  no  more.  He  was  English  ; 
he  had  been  born,  not  made.  And  the  men  within 
whose  influences  her  mind  and  character  had  devel 
oped  had  been  little  more  than  liquids  in  a  huge  fur 
nace  whose  very  moulds  were  always  changing. 

But  Lee  put  this  new  interpretation  of  Cecil  aside 
for  the  present,  realising  that  it  would  torment  her 
sufficiently  in  the  future,  and  that  she  had  better  shut 
her  eyes  as  long  as  she  could,  and  linger  over  the 
pleasant  draughts  of  the  moment. 

But  it  was  of  the  future  that  she  thought,  and  she 
longed  for  wings  that  she  might  fly  to  California  for  a 
day.  England  was  beautiful,  and  it  safe*"**  fc>r  "*>«f'  - 
nation,  "but  its  absolute  unlikeness  to  California,  com 
bined  with  the  incidents  of  her  brief  sojourn,  filled  her 
with  a  desperate  home-sickness.  It  might  have  been 
dissipated  in  a  moment  if  she  had  had  one  Californian 
to  talk  to  —  Mrs.  Montgomery,  or  Coralie,  or  Ran 
dolph.  On  the  whole,  she  would  have  preferred 

198 


and  English  Husbands 

Randolph,  not  only  because  she  had  run  to  him 
with  most  of  her  troubles  during  the  last  ten  years, 
but  because  his  advice  had  always  been  sound  and 
practical. 

His  assertion  some  years  before  that  the  Maund- 
rells  needed  millions,  and  Cecil's  subsequent  graceful 
remark  that  he  had  argued  with  himself  on  the  folly 
of  marrying  anything  under  a  fortune,  had  been  mere 
words  to  her.  It  is  difficult  for  a  Californian  who  has 
not  known  grinding  poverty  or  the  suicidal  care  of 
vernal  millions  to  realise  the  actual  value  of  money. 
In  that  land  of  the  poppy,  where  the  luxuries  of 
severer  climes  are  a  drug  in  the  market,  where  the 
earth  over  which  people  sprawl  their  tasteless  "palatial 
residences  "  is,  comparatively  speaking,  inexpensive, 
where  a  man  with  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  can 
live  almost  as  smartly  as  a  man  with  a  million,  where 
there  is  little  inclination  for  display,  even  among  the 
fungi,  and  where  position  is  in  no  wise  dependent  upon 
the  size  of  one's  income,  one  never  conceives  the 
most  approximate  idea  of  the  absolute  necessity  of 
great  wealth  to  men  born  to  other  conditions  of 
climate,  race,  and  to  the  enormous  responsibilities 
of  territorial  inheritance. 

To  Lee,  millions  had  always  been  associated  with 
vulgarity,  as  belonging  exclusively  to  low-born  peo 
ple  whom  Mrs.  Montgomery  would  not  have  permitted 
to  cross  her  door-mat.  It  is  doubtful  if  her  father  or 
Mr.  Montgomery  or  Mr.  Brannan  had  ever  been  worth 
eight  hundred  thousand  dollars,  although  they  had 
been  stars  of  the  first  magnitude  in  their  day.  Col 
onel  Belmont  had  left  little  more,  and  the  Yorbas  and 

199 


American  Wives 

Gearys  were  the  only  families  of  the  old  set  who  were 
known  by  their  riches.  The  great  wealth  of  these 
had  meant  nothing  to  Lee ;  Mrs.  Montgomery  lived 
quite  as  well,  and  entertained  far  more  brilliantly. 
Her  own  income  had  seemed  very  large  to  her,  her 
jump  from  eighty  dollars  a  month  to  nearly  a  thou- 
t  sand  one  of  the  glittering  romances  of  California. 
She  had  sincerely  pitied  the  people  whose  malodorous 
opulence  made  them  the  target  of  the  terrible  Mr. 
Bierce,  and  whose  verbal  infelicities  had  contributed 
standing  jests  to  those  outer  rings  of  Society  which 
had  opened  to  them.  To-day  she  was  almost  ready 
to  envy  them  bitterly,  to  barter  her  honoured  name 
and  illustrious  kin  for  their  ungrammatical  millions. 

Lord  and  Lady  Barnstaple  and  Lady  Mary  Gifford, 
even  the  speechless  Miss  Fix,  had  succeeded  in  mak 
ing  her  feel  as  guilty  as  if  Cecil  were  a  half-witted 
boy  whom,  she  had  entrapped.  One  of  the  great 
homes  of  England  —  one,  moreover,  to  which  he  was 
passionately  attached  —  was  the  price  he  had  paid  for 
his  wife.  She  was  too  charged  with  the  arrogance  of 
youth  and  beauty  to  wonder  if  he  would  live  to  regret 
his  choice ;  but  she  was  far-sighted  enough  in  other 
matters,  and  she  was  as  certain  of  his  capacity  for 
suffering  as  for  deep  and  intense  affection.  The  day 
he  lost  the  Abbey  he  would  cease  to  be  Cecil 
Maundrell. 

And  she  had  cause  to  bitterly  reproach  herself; 
Randolph  had  begged  her  to  sell  her  ranch  and  invest 
in  the  Peruvian  mine.  She  had  replied  that  she  "  had 
enough,"  in  tranquil  scorn  of  the  United  Statesian's 
frantic  lust  for  gold.  If  she  had  only  known !  She 

200 


and  English  Husbands 

conceived  a  humble  and  enduring  respect  for  a  metal 
that  meant  so  much  more  to  man  than  the  response 
to  his  material  wants  and  his  greed. 

She  went  to  the  edge  of  the  wood,  and  looked  down 
on  the  Abbey.  Its  lids  seemed  lowered  in  haughty 
mute  reproach.  She  saw  a  thousand  new  beauties  in 
it,  and  knew  that  she  should  shake  and  thrill  with  the 
pride  of  its  possession,  exult  in  the  destiny  which 
had  made  it  her  home,  were  it  not  that  the  stranger 
bided  his  time  at  the  gates. 

Had  Cecil  Maundrell  been  mad?  Were  all  men 
really  mad  when  they  loved  a  woman?  Or  had  it 
been  that  he,  too,  had  but  an  abstract  appreciation  of 
the  value  of  money?  This  splendid  estate  had  fitted 
him  too  easily,  and  he  had  worn  it  too  long,  for  it  not 
to  seem  as  inevitable  as  the  stars,  in  spite  of  much 
desultory  talk ;  and  his  personal  wants  were  simple, 
and  had  always  been  liberally  supplied. 

She  turned  her  back  on  the  Abbey,  which  seemed 
actually  to  lift  its  lids  and  send  her  a  glance  of  stern 
appeal,  and  returned  to  her  nook.  What  should  she 
do  ?  There  was  not  a  cell  of  morbid  matter  in  her 
brain ;  she  contemplated  neither  suicide  nor  divorce 
-  in  favour  of  Miss  Fix.  There  seemed  but  one 
solution  of  the  difficulty.  She  must  find  a  million  — 
dollars,  if  not  pounds.  The  latter  were  desirable/but 
the  former  would  do.  She  decided  to  write  to  Ran 
dolph  that  very  day.  He  had  a  genius  for  making 
money,  and  he  must  place  it  at  her  disposal. 

She  heard  the  sound  of  many  voices  rising  with 
the  slight  ascent  between  the  Abbey  and  the  wood, 
and  hastily  sought  the  deceptive  shades  beyond. 

201 


American  Wives 

These  people  had  been  very  charming  to  her  the 
night  before,  and  she  had  no  doubt  that  she  should, 
in  time,  like  all  good  Americans,  fall  under  their 
spell ;  but  at  present  she  rather  resented  their  failure 
to  differentiate  between  herself  and  "  Emmy."  And 
she  was  harassed,  and  they  were  not  her  "  own  sort." 


202 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  V 

SHE  escaped  from  the  wood  into  her  tower,  and 
wrote  a  letter  to  Randolph.  She  made  no  at 
tempt  at  diplomacy ;  she  told  him  the  truth.  Ran 
dolph  loved  her,  and  she  was  a  woman  of  sufficient 
humour,  but  there  was  no  one  else  to  appeal  to,  and 
she  argued  that  he  would  respect  her  frankness ;  and 
it  had  been  his  habit  for  many  years  to  obey  her 
commands.  Moreover,  in  the  sequestered  recesses 
of  his  brain  he  was  a  Southerner,  chivalrous  and  im 
pulsive.  She  believed  that  he  must  by  now  have 
accepted  the  fact  that  she  was  another  man's  wife, 
and  she  believed  that  he  would  help  her. 

After  breakfast,  which  she  took  in  solitude,  as  she 
was  very  late,  she  went  to  call  on  her  mother-in-law, 
who  had  graciously  intimated  the  night  before  that 
she  would  be  visible  at  twelve.  The  maid  conducted 
her  to  a  suite  of  apartments  removed  from  Lord 
Barnstaple's  by  almost  the  width  of  the  building,  and 
Lee  wondered  if  he  had  caused  the  walls  to  be 
padded.  The  bedroom  was  certainly  very  pink,  and 
as  fluffy  as  much  lace  and  fluttering  silk  could  make 
it.  Miss  Fix,  in  a  white  serge  tailor-made  frock,  was 
seated  in  a  large  carved  chair,  with  her  proCe  in 
bold  relief.  Lady  Barnstaple,  in  a  pink  peignoir, 
looked  like  a  ball  of  floss  in  the  depths  of  an  arm 
chair.  She  smiled  radiantly  as  Lee  entered. 

"  So  good  of  you  to  come  !  "  she  said.  "  Lee,  dear, 
203 


American  Wives 

this  is  my  intimate  friend,  Miss  Fix.  How  perfectly 
brilliant  you  look !  Of  course  you  have  been  out. 
I  almost  went  myself.  I  feel  quite  fit  to-day;  one 
would  think  I  'd  never  had  a  nerve.  Victoria,  my 
beautiful  daughter-in-law  has  been  such  a  belle  in  the 
States,  and  has  had  an  unheard-of  number  of  offers, 
three  of  them  from  immensely  wealthy  members  of 
the  peerage,  Lord  Arrowmount's  friends.  But  it  was 
an  old  boy-and-girl  affair  between  her  and  Cecil,  and 
I  think  it  is  all  too  romantic  and  sweet !  I  Ve  felt 
ever  so  much  younger  since  she  came.  I  never  had 
one  spark  of  romance  in  my  life.  Men  are  in  the 
way,  though  —  we  '11  have  ever  so  much  nicer  times 
a  year  from  now  when  you  and  Cecil  have  learned 
to  exist  without  each  other  —  not  that  I  can  com 
plain  that  Barnstaple  was  ever  in  my  way.  Things 
might  have  turned  out  differently  if  he  had  been 
occasionally,  for  I  was  young  enough,  and  romantic 
enough,  when  I  married  him ;  but  he  always  was, 
and  always  will  be,  the  most  cold-blooded  brute  in 
England.  Once  I  cared,  but  now  I  don't.  I  'm  con 
tent  to  have  got  the  upper  hand  of  him.  It  was  that 
or  being  simply  ground  to  powder  myself.  But,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  fact  that  he  sold  himself  in  the 
most  bare-faced  manner,  I  soon  learned  that  when  I 
played  a  tune  on  my  nerves  he  'd  give  in  at  any 
price ;  there  are  more  ways  of  getting  ahead  of  an 
Englishman  than  one.  Still  he  was  a  fascinating 
creature  —  but  that's  passed.  Cecil  always  was  sweet 
to  me,  and  I  Ve  always  simply  adored  him.  If  he  'd 
been  his  father  —  well !  It  would  have  made  me 
simply  ill  if  he  had  n't  married  a  woman  worthy  of 

204 


and  English  Husbands 

him.  I  believe  he 's  the  only  human  being  I  Ve  ever 
really  loved.  And  he  simply  adores  —  but  I  shan't 
be  personal.  Your  clothes  are  really  perfect  —  " 

She  rattled  on,  with  brief  intermissions,  for  nearly  an 
hour.  It  was  evident  that  her  mood  had  undergone 
a  metamorphosis  in  the  night,  and  that  she  desired  to 
be  amiable.  Lee  could  understand  her  "  popularity  " ; 
her  manner  and  certain  intonations  were  most  fascin 
ating,  and  she  constantly  swept  little  glances  of  suf 
fering  appeal  and  voiceless  admiration  into  her 
disciplined  orbs.  Her  tiny  hands  fluttered,  and  from 
head  to  foot,  in  a  pink  light,  she  pleased  the  eye. 
Her  smile  was  rare  and  dazzling.  Lee  wondered 
why,  when  she  was  young,  Lord  Barnstaple  had  not 
loved  her. 

Miss  Fix  made  one  or  two  sensible  remarks  in  a 
low  excellent  voice,  which  had  evidently  received 
scientific  training.  When  Cecil  was  flashing  among 
his  stepmother's  conversational  pyrotechnics,  her 
cheek  looked  less  like  paper  for  a  moment,  but  her 
profile  stood  the  strain. 

Suddenly  Lady  Barnstaple  jumped  up.  "  You 
must  dress  and  I  must  dress,"  she  said  to  Lee.  "  We  're 
going  out  to  luncheon  on  the  moor,  and  afterward 
we  '11  stay  and  watch  them  shoot,  if  you  like.  Of 
course,  everything  will  interest  you  so  much  —  I 
envy  you !  I  'm  sick  to  death  of  shooting-talk  my 
self!  One  doesn't  hear  another  topic  from  the 
twelfth  of  August  until  the  first  of  November,  and 
then  one  has  hunting  and  racing  for  a  change.  I  live 
for  the  London  season  —  and  the  Riviera.  I  Ve  ha<* 
to  give  up  dear,  delightful  Homburg.  Well,  ta,  ta  J  ' 

205 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  VI 

A  FORTNIGHT  later  Lee  scanned  her  new  bou 
doir  with  complacency  and  pride.  The  large 
tower  room  beneath  the  suite  above  had  been  cleared 
of  its  rubbish,  and  she  had  availed  herself  to  the  full 
of  Lady  Barnstaple's  careless  permission  to  take  what 
she  liked.  Lee  liked  beautiful  things,  and,  having 
been  surrounded  by  many  during  the  greater  part 
of  her  life,  regarded  the  best  that  could  be  had  as  her 
natural  right.  Therefore  her  stone  walls  had  dis 
appeared  behind  ancient  tapestries,  which  she  had 
thoughtfully  selected  from  different  rooms,  that  they 
might  not  be  missed.  Round  two  sides  of  the  room 
ran  a  deep  divan,  made  by  a  village  carpenter,  which 
was  covered  with  Persian  rugs,  and  cushions  of  many, 
but  harmonious  styles.  Persian  rugs  also  covered 
the  floor.  Some  of  the  furniture  was  carved,  high- 
backed,  and  ancient,  cut  with  the  Maundrell  arms; 
other  pieces  were  modern  and  luxurious.  In  two  of 
the  window-seats,  which  were  five  feet  deep,  were 
cushions,  in  the  others  noble  marbles  and  bronzes. 
The  room  was  further  glorified  by  a  writing-table 
which  had  belonged  to  Charles  II.,  a  wonderful  brass 
and  ivory  chest  with  secret  drawers  which  had  been 
the  property  of  Katherine  of  Aragon,  an  ancient 

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and  English  Husbands 

spinet  with  a  modern  interior,  a  table  inlaid  with 
lapis-lazuli,  a  tortoise-shell  cabinet,  and  a  low  book 
case  curiously  carved.  On  the  mantel,  heavily  draped 
with  the  spoils  of  an  obscure  window,  and  on  the  top 
of  the  bookcase,  were  not  too  many  bibelots,  selected 
after  much  thought  and  comparison.  The  tapestries 
could  meet  across  the  narrow  windows  at  night,  but 
flat  against  the  glass  were  silk  curtains  of  a  pale 
yellow  colour,  as  a  background  for  the  marbles  and 
bronzes.  Altogether,  Lee  felt  that  she  had  some 
reason  to  be  proud  of  her  taste. 

She  sat  down  to  await  her  father-in-law.  He  was 
kept  at  home  by  a  sprained  wrist,  and  she  had  in 
vited  him  to  be  the  first  to  pay  her  a  call.  He 
entered  in  a  few  moments,  raised  his  eyebrows,  then 
gave  vent  to  a  chuckle  of  unusual  length. 

"What  amuses  you?"  asked  Lee,  rather  tartly. 
"Don't  you  think  my  room  is  pretty?" 

"  Oh,  it 's  charming !  It 's  close  to  being  the 
prettiest  room  in  the  house.  I  congratulate  you. 
You  have  excellent  taste  —  and  you  are  delicious  !  " 

Lee  never  expected  to  understand  her  father-in- 
law,  and  felt  little  inclination  to  attempt  the  dissect 
ing  of  him ;  she  merely  begged  him  to  take  the 
most  comfortable  chair,  placed  a  cushion  under  his 
elbow,  and  sat  down  opposite  him  with  an  expression 
of  genuine  welcome ;  she  liked  him  so  much  better 
than  she  liked  Emmy  that  she  was  almost  persuaded 
that  she  loved  him.  And  he  had  been  consistently 
kind  and  polite  to  her,  whereas  her  mother-in-law  had 
twice  been  the  victim  of  a  "  mood,"  and  cut  her  dead 
in  the  corridors. 

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American  Wives 

"  It 's  just  as  well  to  tell  you,"  said  Lord  Barnstaple, 
"  that  if  Emmy  happens  to  come  to  this  room  when 
she  's  in  one  of  her  infernal  tempers,  she  '11  raise  the 
deuce  of  a  row,  and  order  you  to  send  these  things 
where  they  came  from.  If  she  does,  stand  to  your 
guns,  and  tell  her  I  gave  'em  to  you.  They  're  mine, 
not  hers.  Don't  refer  her  to  me,  for  God's  sake ! 
You  're  quite  able  to  take  care  of  yourself." 

"  She  shan't  have  them  —  and  thanks  so  much. 
You  can  smoke  if  you  like.  I  '11  light  it  for  you." 

"  Upon  my  word,  I  believe  this  will  be  the  pleasant- 
est  room  in  the  house  —  a  haven  of  refuge !  Well, 
how  do  you  like  us?  What  do  you  think  of  us? 
You're  an  interesting  child.  I'm  curious  to  hear 
your  impressions." 

"I  must  say  I  do  feel  rather  like  a  child  since 
I  came  over  here  "  — Lee  made  this  admission  with 
a  slight  pout  —  "  and  I  thought  I  was  quite  a  person- 
of-the-world  after  two  winters  in  San  Francisco  and 
one  in  the  East." 

"  Oh,  we  're  pickled ;  you  're  only  rather  well 
seasoned  over  there.  But  do  you  like  us?" 

"  Yes  —  I  think  I  do.  The  women  are  very  nice 
to  me,  and  although  I  don't  understand  half  they 
say,  and  they  are  quite  unlike  all  my  old  ideals,  and 
I  'm  never  exactly  sure  whether  they  '11  speak  to  me 
the  next  time  they  see  me,  I  feel  as  if  I  'd  get  on  with 
them.  I  must  say,  though,  I  don't  see  any  reason 
why  I  should  attempt  to  make  myself  over  into  a 
bad  imitation  of  them,  like  Emmy " 

"  Some  of  them  —  your  countrywomen —  are  such 
jolly  good  imitations  —  that  they  no  longer  amuse 

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and  English  Husbands 

the  Prince  of  Wales.  Emmy  happens  to  be  a 
fool." 

"  The  men  look  as  if  they'd  be  really  charming  if 
they  could  talk  about  anything  but  grouse,  and  I  had 
one  last  night  at  dinner  who  was  so  tired  he  never 
made  one  remark  from  the  time  he  sat  down  till 
he  got  up." 

"  Men  are  not  amusing  during  the  shooting  season; 
but,  after  all,  my  dear,  men  were  not  especially 
designed  to  amuse  women." 

"  That 's  your  way  of  looking  at  it." 

"  Do  you  expect  Cecil  to  amuse  you  ?  " 

"  Cecil  has  stayed  home  with  me  three  whole  days, 
and  we  've  roamed  all  over  the  place,  and  had  the 
jolliest  times  imaginable.  He  has  a  lot  of  fun  in  him 
when  he  has  nothing  on  his  mind." 

"  I  never  attempt  to  discuss  men  during  those 
periods  when  they  are  engaged  in  proving  the  rule. 
Cecil  is  in  love.  Long  may  he  remain  so "  —  he 
waved  his  uninjured  hand  gallantly  —  "but  unless 
I  am  much  mistaken,  the  longer  you  know  him 
the  less  amusing  you  will  find  him.  It  is  the  preroga 
tive  of  greatness  to  be  dull.  England  is  the  greatest 
nation  on  earth,  and  is  as  dull  as  befits  its  dignity  — 
mind  you,  I  don't  say  stupid,  which  is  a  wholly  dif 
ferent  quantity.  Conversely,  many  of  the  most  bril 
liant  men  living  are  Englishmen,  but  they  are  not 
great  in  the  national  sense.  Read  The  Times,  and  you 
will  see  what  I  mean." 

"Do  you  think  Cecil  has  it  in  him  to  be  great?  " 
asked  Lee  eagerly. 

"Sometimes  I  've  thought  so.  He  has  as  good  a 
'4  209 


American  Wives 

brain  for  its  age  as  there  is  in  England,  and  I  believe 
he  's  ambitious.     Do  you  think  he  is?  " 

"I  can't  make  out.  I  don't  think  he  knows,  him 
self." 

"He'll  find  out  as  soon  as  he's  in  the  run 
ning.  Just  now  I  fancy  he  imagines  himself  op 
pressed  with  the  weight  of  family  traditions,  which 
I  have  neglected.  But  there  are  no  half  measures 
about  him,  and  if  he  develops  ambition  he  '11 
make  straight  for  the  big  prizes.  It  will  be  all  or 
nothing. " 

"I  hope  he  's  ambitious." 

"  Ah !  Ambition  is  an  exacting  mistress  —  a 
formidable  rival ! " 

"I  'd  not  be  afraid  of  that;  I  don't  know  that  I 
can  explain." 

"Do  —  try."  Lord  Barnstaple  could  be  very 
charming  when  he  chose;  he  tossed  aside  his  cyn 
ical  impassivity  as  it  were  a  mask,  and  assumed  an 
expression  of  profound  and  tender  interest.  His 
son  was  the  only  living  being  that  he  loved,  and  he 
had  planned  for  an  uninterrupted  interview  with  Lee 
in  order  to  ascertain,  as  far  as  was  possible,  what 
were  Cecil's  prospects  of  happiness.  He  liked  and 
admired  his  daughter-in-law  as  far  as  he  knew  her, 
but  he  despised  and  distrusted  all  women,  and  he 
had  heretofore  hated  Americans  with  monotonous 
consistency. 

Lee  was  very  susceptible  to  a  warm  personal 
interest,  and  this  was  the  first  she  had  experienced 
in  England.  And  she  was  in  a  surcharged  state  of 
mind  to  speak  out  freely  at  the  first  sign  of  unmis- 

210 


and  English  Husbands 

takable  sympathy.  Lord  Barnstaple  took  the  one 
step  farther  that  was  necessary. 

"I  am  not  given  to  sentimentalising,  but  I  love 
Cecil.  And  next  to  him,  I  want  you  to  regard  me 
as  your  best  friend  in  England." 

He  was  rewarded  and  somewhat  taken  aback  by 
an  enthusiastic  hug  and  a  kiss  on  either  cheek.  He 
laughed,  but  he  felt  more  amiably  disposed  toward 
Americans. 

"  Now,  tell  me, "  he  said,  "  why  do  you  want  Cecil  to 
be  ambitious  ?  Do  you  want  a  great  political  salon  ?  " 

"  I  should  n't  mind  a  bit,  but  that 's  not  the  reason. 
The  more  Cecil  wanted  of  life,  the  more  he  'd  be 
dependent  on  me  for  consolation  and  encouragement 
—  the  most  successful  have  so  many  disappoint 
ments.  If  he  went  through  life  animated  by  duty 
alone,  content  with  the  niche  he  drifted  into,  he  'd 
close  up  at  all  points,  become  a  mere  spoke  in  the 
wheel,  without  a  weak  spot  that  I  could  get  at. 
And  then  he  would  be  dull.  It 's  in  Cecil  to  become 
terribly  solid  or  to  spread  out  in  several  different 
directions.  I  want  him  to  spread  out." 

"  Ah !  I  see  you  have  done  some  thinking,  if  you 
are  a  mere  child." 

"  I  'm  no  child  —  really.  I  took  care  of  my  mother 
and  did  all  her  thinking  for  five  years,  and  I  have 
been  treated  like  an  individual,  not  like  an  English 
man's  necessary  virtue,  ever  since.  I  've  managed 
my  own  business  affairs ;  I  've  read  more  books  than 
any  woman  in  this  house;  I  've  had  heaps  and  heaps 
of  men  in  love  with  me;  and  I  've  done  a  lot  of 
thinking  —  particularly  about  Cecil." 

211 


American  Wives 

Lord  Barnstaple  in  another  moment  might  have 
smiled,  but  for  the  present  his  concern  had  routed 
his  cynicism. 

"  You  look  as  if  you  'd  merely  been  made  to  fall  in 
love  with,"  he  said  gallantly.  "But  I  am  surprised 
and  gratified.  Tell  me  what  you  have  been  thinking 
about  Cecil." 

"I  'd  day-dreamed  for  years  about  him  before  he 
came,  but  it  was  all  romantic  and  impossible  non 
sense.  I  don't  think  I  ever  realised  that  he  was  the 
author  of  his  own  letters,  and  I  persisted  in  imagining 
him  a  mixture  of  Byron,  Marmion,  Robert  Dudley, 
Eugene  Wrayburn,  Launcelot,  and  several  of  Ouida's 
earlier  heroes.  Of  course,  my  imagination  wore 
down  a  good  deal  after  I  came  out  and  saw  more  of 
the  world;  nevertheless,  when  Cecil  did  come,  he 
was  wholly  unlike  anything  I  had  concocted.  But, 
somehow,  he  seemed  quite  natural,  even  in  the  first 
moment,  and  I  would  not  have  had  him  otherwise  for 
the  world.  He  seemed  made  for  me,  and  it  did  n't 
take  me  a  second  to  get  used  to  him." 

"  Well  ? "  Lord  Barnstaple  was  watching  her 
closely ;  the  slightest  acting  would  not  have  escaped 
him.  She  spoke  with  some  hesitation,  her  eyes 
turned  aside. 

"He  only  stayed  a  little  while,  and  I  didn't  see 
him  again  for  three  days.  During  those  days,  and 
during  two  weeks  a  little  later  when  I  was  alone 
again  —  he  left  me  for  a  bear !  —  I  did  harder  think 
ing  than  I  'd  ever  done  before.  I  realised  two  things, 
especially  the  second  time:  I  was  frightfully  in  love 
with  him,  and  the  whole  happiness  of  our  future  was 

212 


and  English  Husbands 

in  my  hands.  Cecil  had  told  me,  with  his  usual 
frankness,  that  I'd  have  to  do  the  adapting  —  he 
couldn't.  I  'm  sure  he  had  no  idea  of  being  egois 
tical;  he  always  looks  facts  in  the  face,  and  he 
merely  stated  one.  And  there  's  no  doubt  about  it  ! 
He  's  made  for  good  and  all  —  he  's  centuries  old. 
That  threw  the  whole  thing  on  me." 

"  Considering  that  you  look  things  in  the  face  with 
something  of  the  intellectuality  of  a  man,  you  have 
undertaken  no  light  responsibility." 

"  It 's  the  less  light  because  I  am  a  Californian, 
and  we  have  twice  the  individuality  and  originality 
of  any  people  in  the  United  States.  We  always  get 
quite  huffy  when  we  are  spoken  of  as  merely  Ameri 
cans.  Of  course  we  take  enormous  pride  in  our 
Southern  descent,  but  we  are  —  those  of  us  that  were 
born  there —  Californians,  first  and  last." 

"These  fine  distinctions  are  beyond  me  at  present. 
Of  course  you  will  be  good  enough  to  initiate  me 
further." 

"  You  need  not  laugh.  Cecil  did  at  first,  but  now 
he  quite  understands  that  it  is  the  United  States  and 
California.  What  I  was  going  to  say  was  this :  it 's 
the  harder  for  us  to  adapt  ourselves,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  we  are  malleable  and  made  of  a  thousand 
particles.  Compared  with  Englishwomen,  who  — 
who  —  are  much  more  conservative  and  traditional, 
we  are  in  a  state  of  fusion.  But  the  fact  remains 
that  we  have  tremendous  individuality,  and  that  we 
are  —  as  Cecil  says  —  self-conscious  about  it." 

"And  you  don't  fancy  adapting  yourself  to  any 
body.  Quite  so." 

213 


American  Wives 

"It  irritated  and  worried  me  at  first,  for  I  'd  not 
only  been  on  a  pedestal,  but  I  'd  been  a  fearful  little 
tyrant  with  men.  You  would  n't  believe  the  way  I 
used  to  treat  them.  Now  "  —  she  paused  a  moment, 
then  blurted  out :  "  I  'm  so  much  in  love  that  I  don't 
care  a  rap  about  my  individuality.  I  don't  care  for 
a  thing  on  earth  but  to  be  happy.  Of  course,  before 
I  married,  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  make  the  best 
of  many  things  I  probably  should  n't  like,  and  not  to 
attempt  the  impossible  task  of  making  Cecil  over. 
But  there  is  so  much  more  in  it  than  that.  I  am 
determined  that  my  marriage  shall  be  a  success.  I 
have  had  already  enough  happiness  to  want  always 
more  and  more  and  more.  I  '11  live  for  that.  I 
buried  my  private  ambitions  in  the  redwoods.  It 
is  a  curious  contradiction,  that  happiness  is  the  one 
thing  people  really  want,  and  that  it  is  the  one  thing 
nearly  everybody  misses.  I  believe  it  is  because 
people  do  not  concentrate  on  it.  They  wish  for  it 
and  make  little  grabs  at  it.  I  intend  to  concentrate 
on  it,  and  live  for  nothing  else.  And  of  course  that 
means  that  Cecil  will  be  happy  too.  I  '11  simply 
fling  aside  the  thought  of  certain  attributes  I  would 
wish  Cecil  had,  and  make  the  most  of  what  he  has. 
And,  Heaven  knows,  Nature  was  not  niggardly  with 
him !  " 

Lord  Barnstaple  held  his  breath  for  half  a  moment. 
His  interest  had  ceased  to  be  speculative,  and  even, 
for  the  moment,  paternal.  He  was  in  the  presence 
of  elemental  passion  and  a  shrewd  modern  brain,  and 
the  combination  was  a  force  from  which  he  received 
a  palpable  shock.  There  was  so  profound  a  silence 

214 


and  English  Husbands 

for  several  moments  that  Lee  stirred  uneasily,  won 
dering  if  she  had  tried  his  interest  too  far.  When 
he  spoke,  it  was  in  his  most  matter-of-fact  tone. 

"  If  I  were  a  younger  man  I  should  say  many  pretty 
things  to  you,  notably  one  which  I  don't  doubt  Cecil 
has  said  very  often  —  that  you  are  the  sort  of  woman 
a  man  imagines  he  could  cheerfully  die  for.  I  am 
no  longer  young,  but  I  recognise  the  type."  He 
hesitated  a  moment.  "My  wife  belonged  to  it. 
Now,  I  am  going  to  give  you  some  hard  practical 
advice.  If  you  adopt  it,  I  believe  that,  taken  in  con 
nection  with  your  purpose  and  with  what  Nature  has 
been  kind  enough  to  do  for  you,  it  will  insure  your 
success  if  anything  can.  Identify  yourself  with 
every  one  of  Cecil's  pleasures  and  pursuits.  By 
the  first  of  October  the  guests  will  have  gone,  and 
Emmy  with  them ;  she  spends  the  rest  of  the  autumn 
and  early  winter  in  London,  and  in  a  round  of  visits 
further  South.  Cecil  and  I  always  stay  on  here  for 
the  pheasants,  and  I  usually  ask  two  or  three  men 
down  at  a  time.  There  will  be  no  other  women  here 
until  next  August.  Come  out  with  us,  learn  to  shoot, 

stay  out  all  day,  and learn  to  like  it.     I  doubt, 

though,  if  you  could  help  it.  Then  comes  the  hunt 
ing  season.  We  always  spend  the  month  of  November 
in  Warwickshire  at  Beaumanoir,  my  brother-in-law's 
place  —  you  will  remember  he  was  here  when  you 
came.  Cecil  tells  me  that  you  are  a  fine  horse 
woman.  You  will  learn  to  ride  to  hounds  in  no 
time,  and  Cecil  is  particularly  keen  on  hunting.  So 
much  for  his  pleasures;  and  you  will  soon  learn  that 
you  cannot  know  too  much  about  sport  of  every  sort. 

215 


American  Wives 

In  December  we  must  return  here.  Parliament  may 
be  prorogued  for  elections  at  any  moment  after  Feb 
ruary,  and  Cecil  must  begin  as  soon  as  possible  to 
nurse  his  constituency.  It  's  been  nursing  for  him 
in  a  way  for  several  years,  for  it  has  always  been 
understood  that  Cecil  was  to  succeed  old  Saunderson, 
who  has  now  had  enough  of  it,  and  practically  noti 
fied  the  Division.  Nevertheless,  Cecil  has  work  of 
his  own  to  do,  for  the  Liberal  element  has  been 
gaining  strength  here  for  sometime.  He  must  make 
speeches,  open  libraries,  or  whatever  else  demands 
the  grace  of  his  presence  —  and  I  believe  several 
things  of  the  sort  are  finishing.  He  must  do  every 
thing  he  can  to  make  himself  known  and  liked,  and 
to  inspire  confidence.  And  he  will  have  to  study 
very  hard  —  will  study,  for  he  does  nothing  by  halves. 
You  must  go  about  with  him,  and  also  visit  a  little 
among  the  village  people.  You  will  be  a  great  help, 
for  the  lower  classes  love  the  compound  of  beauty 
and  rank;  and  if  it  is  known  that  you  will  sit  on  the 
platform  while  he  speaks  he  will  be  doubly  sure  of  a 
large  audience.  He  may  give  an  occasional  lecture 
or  preside  at  a  magic-lantern  show  at  the  village 
schools.  It  is  expected  of  us,  for  some  six  or  eight 
villages  skirting  the  estate  were  once  ours.  I,  too, 
have  been  an  oracle  in  my  day.  The  bare  thought 
bores  me  now,  but  it  will  amuse  you  and  Cecil. 
And  —  here  is  another  point  —  study  with  him. 
That  will  not  be  so  interesting;  in  fact,  it  will  bore 

you " 

"No,  it  will  not.     I'm   immensely  interested  in 
English  politics  already." 

216 


and  English  Husbands 

"You'll  find  it  something  of  a  pull,  tramping 
through  Blue  Books,  Reports,  Public  Speeches, 
Statesman's  Year-Books,  and  all  the  data  on  the 
great  question  of  the  Landlord  v.  the  Farmer.  But 
if  you  have  the  brains  and  the  energy  to  stick  to  it 
—  and  I  believe  you  have  —  you  will  succeed  in  get 
ting  closer  to  Cecil  than  you  ever  would  in  any  other 
way.  He  will  be  flattered  at  first,  and  pleased  with 
the  prospect  of  companionship;  later,  you  will  be 
come  his  second  self,  and  he  could  no  more  do  with 
out  you  than  without  one  of  his  legs  or  arms.  It 's 
a  risky  thing  to  say  to  a  woman,  but  to  live  com 
fortably  with  an  Englishman  you  've  got  to  become 
his  habit,  and  to  be  happy  with  him  you  've  got  to 
become  his  second  self.  Englishwomen  are  the  first 
from  tradition.  When  they  have  brains  they  usually 
bolt  in  the  opposite  direction.  That  is  because  they 
are  deficient  in  passion.  Let  me  see  what  you  will 
make  of  the  combination.  I  believe  you  will  suc 
ceed.  Thank  Heaven,  here  comes  the  tea!  I've 
never  talked  so  much  in  my  born  days,  and  I  'm  as 
dry  as  a  herring." 

They  took  their  tea  cosily  in  the  dim  beautiful 
room,  and  Lee,  being  a  woman  of  tact,  dropped  the 
subject  of  herself,  and  attempted  the  seemingly 
impossible  task  of  amusing  Lord  Barnstaple.  She 
succeeded  so  well  that  he  discarded  his  usual  chuckle, 
and  laughed  heartily  no  less  than  five  times. 

"  I  foresee  that  you  and  Cecil  and  I  shall  be  three 
jolly  good  comrades.  Of  course  I  shan't  see  quite 
so  much  of  you  in  London ;  you  and  Cecil  will  have 
to  take  a  house  of  your  own,  and  I  've  got  to  live 

217 


American  Wives 

under  the  same  roof  with  Emmy,  for  decency's  sake. 
But  here  we  can  be  a  really  comfortable  family 
party.  This  year  we  '11  be  here  till  April,  and  after 
that,  of  course,  you  '11  have  to  move  up  to  London 
in  January.  Do  you  look  forward  to  being  the  beauty 
of  a  London  season  ?  What  a  question !  " 

"Of  course  I  want  to  be  admired;  and  what  is 
more,  I  don't  intend  to  let  Cecil  forget  that  I  can 
be,  when  I  choose.  I  suppose  I  '11  look  horrid  in  a 
shooting  outfit." 

"I  am  sure  you  will  look  charming;  and,  I  don't 
wish  to  be  rude  —  Cecil  will  not  know  whether  you  do 
or  not.  But  that  's  not  the  point,  and  you  can  make 

yourself  fascinating  at  dinner.  Tea-gowns " 

He  waved  his  hand  vaguely. 

Lee's  eyes  sparkled.  "I  have  a  delightful  sensa 
tion  of  novelty,"  she  said.  "  I  want  to  get  right  into 
the  middle  of  it  all.  It  may  not  be  like  my  old 
dreams,  but  it  glitters,  all  the  same.  I  love  doing 
new  things. " 

"Novelty  is  the  half  of  many  battles,"  observed 
Lord  Barnstaple  dryly. 

The  conversation  drifted  again  to  other  matters, 
but  as  he  was  leaving  her  a  half-hour  later,  he  turned 
at  the  door,  and  said : 

"Cecil  is  very  much  under  your  spell.  Keep  him 
there." 

"I  intend  to."  Lee's  eyes  rarely  failed  to  express 
what  leaped  into  the  foreground  of  her  mind.  As 
Lord  Barnstaple  picked  his  way  down  the  dark  and 
winding  stair  his  smile  was  much  as  usual. 

218 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  VII 

AS  Lee  sat  alone,  pondering  deeply  over  her 
father-in-law's  advice,  her  American  mail  was 
brought  up.  She  opened  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery.  After  several  pages  of  lamentation  in  many 
keys  for  her  lost  child,  and  several  more  of  advice, 
the  good  lady  got  down  to  news. 

"  And  I  Ve  lost  another,  for  a  whole  year  at  the  very  least 
—  I  '11  join  him  somewhere  in  Europe  when  Tiny  goes  back, 
and  then,  of  course,  he  '11  come  with  us  to  England,  and  has 
almost  persuaded  me  to  take  up  my  real  abode  in  Europe 
and  pay  visits  to  California.  Of  course  I  mean  Randolph, 
darling.  He  decided,  after  all,  not  to  sell  his  share  in  the 
mine,  but  formed  a  syndicate  —  himself,  Mr.  Geary,  Mr. 
Trennahan,  Mr.  Brannan,  and  others  of  unimpeachable 
integrity  —  and  now  they  own  the  mine,  and  Randolph  says 
he  '11  be  worth  five  millions  at  least.  As  soon  as  it  was  all 
settled  he  told  me  that  as  there  was  nothing  in  particular 
for  him  to  do  he  should  go  abroad.  I  could  n't  believe  my 
ears  when  he  said  :  *  I  never  want  to  hear  the  word  "  busi 
ness  "  again.  I  am  sick  of  being  a  hustling  American.  I 
want  the  repose  of  the  old  world,  and  all  it  must  be  able 
to  give  and  do  for  a  man.  I  want  to  read  and  study,  too. 
I  feel  half-educated,  half-baked.  If  I  could  only  have  got 
a  million  out  of  the  mine  I  should  have  been  satisfied,  and 
turned  my  back  on  money-grabbing  just  the  same,  but  of 
course  my  instincts  were  too  strong  to  take  one  million 

219 


American  Wives 

where  there  was  a  chance  of  five.'  So  he's  gone!  I've 
cried  until  I  can't  see,  for,  although  Arthur 's  the  best  of  men, 
and  I  love  him  like  my  own  son,  he  's  not  Randolph,  and 
even  Tiny  could  n't  call  him  entertaining.  When  I  tell  him 
my  troubles,  he  merely  says,  '  Ah ! '  at  regular  intervals. 
But  I  'm  glad,  for  one  reason  :  I  've  always  hated  money-mak 
ing  ;  money  was  never  made  for  anything  but  to  spend  with 
an  open  hand  without  asking  for  change,  and  I  could  never 
shut  my  eyes  to  the  fact  that  Randolph  was  not  what  his 
grandfathers  were  —  and  his  father  when  the  latter  was  a 
young  man.  And  he  looks  so  like  his  paternal  grandfather 
—  the  very  image,  and  old  Colonel  Montgomery  always 
looked  as  if  he'd  just  come  from  a  private  audience  with 
the  king  —  of  course  there  was  n't  any  king,  but  he  made 
one  think  there  was.  Europe  does  wonders  for  people. 
I  never  saw  an  American  woman  go  over  for  one  year  that 
she  did  n't  come  back  improved.  The  men  don't  usually 
stay  long  enough,  but  when  they  do  —  look  at  Mr.  Trenna- 
han.  I  'm  sure  it  will  give  Randolph  just  the  one  thing  he 
needs.  ..." 

Lee  dropped  the  letter  in  dismay.  If  hers  ever 
reached  Randolph,  would  he  interrupt  his  first  real 
holiday  to  attend  to  her  affairs  ?  And  it  would  be  a 
year  at  least  before  he  arrived  in  England.  For  a  few 
moments  she  was  nervously  excited  and  very  de 
pressed.  Then  she  bethought  herself  of  her  resolu 
tion  to  worry  about  nothing  she  could  not  alter. 
Both  her  parents-in-law  would,  in  all  probability,  live 
for  many  years  to  come,  and  Lady  Barnstaple  seemed 
by  no  means  at  the  end  of  her  resources.  By  hook 
or  by  crook  she  would  get  the  money  before  it  was 
needed ;  but  until  she  could  take  her  next  step  she 
would  agitate  herself  no  further  about  it. 

220 


and  English  Husbands 

Her  mind  wandered  to  Randolph.  It  was  on  the 
cards  that  he  would  be  much  changed  and  improved 
the  next  time  they  met.  He  inspired  her  with  quite 
a  new  interest,  and  she  anticipated  his  advent  with  a 
lively  curiosity. 

She  opened  a  letter  from  Coralie : 

"  I  am  going  to  marry,  too,"  announced  Miss  Brannan ; 
"Ned  Geary.  I  used  to  fancy  myself  rather  eprise  with 
Randolph,  as  you  know ;  but  really  one's  affections  can't 
thrive  on  disinterested  friendship,  so  I  've  transferred  mine, 
bag  and  baggage,  to  the  uncertain  Teddy.  I  don't  believe 
Randolph  will  ever  marry.  I  'm  light  and  Ned  is  light,  like 
the  North  American  atmosphere  and  Californian  claret ;  but 
Randolph  is  the  kind  that  takes  things  clear  down  to  his 
boots.  He  's  as  blue  as  paint,  and  it  '11  be  a  long  while 
before  he  spruces  up.  However,  he  's  got  several  millions 
to  console  him,  so  I  expect  he  '11  pull  through." 

Lee  felt  a  slight  irritation  at  the  rapid  consolement 
of  Mr.  Geary,  and  smiled  at  the  assurance  of  Ran 
dolph's  unaltered  devotion.  Then,  out  of  her  fuller 
knowledge,  she  sent  him  a  little  sigh  of  pity,  and 
shortly  after  dismissed  him  from  her  mind. 

In  a  few  moments  she  went  out  to  meet  Cecil  on 
his  return  from  the  moors.  On  the  top  of  a  hillock 
she  turned  and  looked  back  at  the  Abbey.  During 
the  last  fortnight  she  had  studied  it  in  every  light 
and  from  every  side.  She  understood  why  even 
Emmy  loved  it,  and  why  Cecil  had  cared  for  no 
other  home,  even  when  a  child,  and  with  a  bare  pros 
pect  of  inheritance ;  she  herself  had  conceived  a  feel 
ing  that  was  almost  a  passion  for  it.  Cecil  had 

221 


American  Wives 

rehabilitated  its  past,  and  the  tales  were  heroic  and 
dramatic  and  ghostly  enough  to  satisfy  even  her 
girlish  imagination ;  small  wonder  that  she  loved  the 
Abbey  as  the  one  thing  that  had  been  wholly  with 
out  disappointment,  and  had  made  no  demands  upon 
her  powers  of  adaptability. 

It  was  nearly  half  an  hour  before  she  met  the  brakes 
with  the  returning  sportsmen.  The  undulations  of 
the  moor  soon  hid  every  other  feature  of  the  land 
scape.  It  was  a  vast  and  lonely  expanse,  as  primitive 
and  as  widely  lonely  as  any  prairie  of  the  New  World. 
And  it  was  so  beautiful  that  Lee  was  faithless  to  her 
redwoods;  for  it  came  to  her  with  something  of  a 
shock  that  the  expression  "purple  twilight"  was  not 
a  mere  poetic  felicity.  Whether  or  not  the  atmos 
phere  absorbed  the  heather's  colour,  all  the  light  on 
the  moor,  and  on  the  mountain  beyond,  was  purple. 
She  had  read  of  the  dreary  moorland,  and  had  pic 
tured  it  a  dun  grey  thing ;  possibly  it  was  in  winter. 
But  in  its  autumn  purples  it  was  mysterious  and  en 
chanting.  And  it  gave  the  impression  of  shouldering 
the  horizon  on  every  side  —  of  possessing  the  Earth. 
Far  away  was  a  solitary  hut ;  near  by  a  pond  of  ugly 
traditions.  It  was  all  as  it  should  be,  Lee  reflected 
with  a  quizzical  smile.  Within  the  walls  of  the  Abbey 
Emmy  held  romance  by  the  throat,  but  out  here  on 
the  moor  it  was  impossible  to  realise  her  existence, 
or  anything  but  the  England  of  the  poets. 


222 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  VIII 

WHAT  Lee  did  at  all  she  did  thoroughly, 
volatile  as  she  was  in  some  respects;  origi 
nal  force  of  character,  fostered  and  augmented  by 
certain  conditions,  overbalanced  for  long  periods  the 
-  lighter  qualities  of  her  native  atmosphere.  She  had 
wanted  Cecil  for  the  greater  part  of  her  life,  and  she 
had  got  him ;  to  be  completely  happy  with  him,  and 
to  be  all  to  him  that  it  is  given  to  one  mortal  to  be  to 
another  was  her  fixed  purpose,  and  she  applied  her 
self  to  it  with  the  energy  and  concentration  which 
have  carried  many  men  to  their  pedestal  in  a  public 
square. 

Cecil  was  not  disposed  to  desert  the  grouse  after 
the  last  of  the  guests  had  left  the  Abbey,  and  she 
went  out  every  day  with  him  and  the  keepers  — 
Lord  Barnstaple  was  still  nursing  his  wrist;  and, 
having  a  quick  eye  and  a  steady  hand,  occasionally 
managed  to  bring  down  a  bird.  It  was  true  that 
walking  on  the  moor  was  much  like  walking  on  a 
spring-mattress,  and,  being  the  child  of  an  earth- 
^,qwake  country^,  she  was  never  quite  able  to  rid  her 
self  of  an  uneasy  anticipation  of  collapse ;  but  so 
great  was  the  enthusiasm  of  her  nature  that  she  was 
not  only  interested,  but  delighted  with  this,  as  with 
other  novelties  of  her  present  life. 

Shooting  in  the  covers  was  a  more  difficult  matter, 
and  when  she  scratched  her  face  or  caught  her  hair 

223 


American  Wives 

on  a  briary  branch,  she  said  things  under  her  breath 
which  would  have  shocked  Mrs.  Montgomery  or 
Cecil ;  but  there  was  no  doubt  that  sport,  if  one  went 
into  it  with  one's  entire  brain,  was  really  exciting, 
and,  had  it  not  been,  Cecil's  delight  in  his  wife's  latest 
development  would  have  sustained  her. 

In  hunting,  she  took  an  unqualified  pleasure.  No 
Englishwoman  had  a  finer  seat  in  the  saddle  than  she, 
and,  having  always  loved  riding  for  itself,  the  addi 
tional  incentive  of  pursuit,  and  the  picturesque  ap 
pearance  of  the  field,  made  the  pastime  quite  the 
most  perfect  she  had  ever  known.  Before  the  season 
was  far  advanced  she  rode  as  straight  as  any  woman 
in  the  county;  and  perhaps  Cecil's  compliments  at 
this  period  were  the  most  spontaneous  of  his  life. 
There  was  no  doubt  that  he  was  very  proud  of  her, 
and  once  he  went  so  far  as  to  hint  that  he  felt  rather 
sorry  for  the  majority  of  men. 

The  month  at  Beaumanoir  was  rather  fatiguing, 
but  very  gay  —  at  least,  everybody  laughed  a  great 
deal,  and  seemed  full  of  energy.  Emmy  came  for 
a  few  days,  and  Lady  Mary  Gifford  remained  a  fort 
night,  and  bestowed  much  of  her  society  on  Lee. 

When  they  returned  to  the  Abbey  there  was  still 
more  or  less  shooting  and  hunting,  but  Cecil  applied 
himself  seriously  to  the  imminent  elections.  As 
time  passed,  and  the  defeat  of  his  party  loomed  large 
in  the  possibilities,  Lee  noted  that  his  interest  be 
came  less  impersonal  and  considerably  more  acute ; 
his  latent  ambitions  and  energies  felt  their  first 
prick. 

He  spoke  frequently  at  this  time,  and  as  the  roar 
224 


and  English  Husbands 

of  the  storm  grew  nearer,  his  own  accents  lost  the 
cold  deliberation  of  the  first  weeks  and  became  im 
passioned  and  convincing.  He  had  little  doubt  of 
his  own  election,  but  the  threatened  downfall  of  his 
party  harassed  and  angered  him.  It  was  then  that 
his  wife  discovered  that  he  had  not  outlived  his 
boyish  love  of  sympathy ;  and  the  boudoir  in  the 
tower  and  the  lonely  moorland  were  the  scenes  of 
many  long  and  intense  conversations,  until  it  became 
his  habit  to  demand  the  sympathy  of  his  wife  for 
every  strait,  great  and  small,  in  which  his  country 
and  his  party  found  themselves. 

If  a  solid  winter  of  politics  bored  Lee,  her  hus 
band  never  knew  it  Neither  did  Lord  Barnstaple, 
who  watched  her  critically ;  he  had  no  more  intimate 
talks  with  her.  But  although  she  was  destined  to 
find  much  in  English  politics  more  interesting  than 
Home  Rule,  the  present  crisis  was  certainly  exciting. 
And  the  two  facts,  that  Cecil  was  expanding,  not 
solidifying,  and  that  he  showed  signs  of  becoming 
almost  dependent  on  her,  were  satisfying  alike  to 
the  pride  of  her  purpose  and  to  the  might  of  her 
affections. 

On  the  first  stormy  day,  Cecil  announced  his 
intention  to  begin  the  course  of  study  he  had 
planned,  and  was  surprised  and  gratified  when  his 
wife  invited  him  to  bring  his  tomes  to  her  boudoir. 

"  I  'm  tired  of  novels,  and  I  Ve  nothing  else  to  do, 
and  I'm  so  tremendously  interested  myself,  that  I 
think  I  '11  read  with  you,"  she  said,  as  Cecil  littered 
her  lapis-lazuli  table.  "  Would  it  bore  you  to  ex 
plain  things  to  me?" 

15  225 


American  Wives 

"  You  are  sure  it  wouldn  't  bore  you  ? "  Cecil 
looked  across  the  ugly  volumes  at  his  beautiful  wife, 
his  eyes  sparkling  as  eagerly  as  when  she  had,  ten 
years  ago,  at  the  Cliff  House,  put  into  words  his  half- 
formed  desire  for  an  adventure.  "  I  should  like  it 
—  above  all  things." 

"  I  should  be  much  more  bored  roaming  round 
the  Abbey  by  myself,  or  sitting  here  twirling  my 
thumbs.  I  think  I  can  understand.  I  Ve  read  The 
Times  every  morning  for  three  months,  and  I  feel 
equal  to  anything."  She  did  not  add  that  at  each 
finish  she  invariably  stuck  a  pin  up  to  its  head  into 
the  pride  of  England,  lest  her  surcharged  spirits  find 
vent  upon  the  gentlemen  of  her  household. 

"  You  can  understand  anything,"  replied  Cecil, 
who  did  not  appreciate  the  humour  of  her  remark. 
"  And  I  '11  get  along  twice  as  well  myself  if  I  have 
somebody  to  talk  things  over  with.  But  you  must  n't 
tire  yourself."  And  he  went  over  to  the  other  side 
of  the  table. 

They  read  together  the  long  winter  through,  see 
ing  Lord  Barnstaple  only  at  the  table  and  in  the  even 
ings:  he  had  congenial  spirits  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  he  paid  several  visits  to  London.  The  conver 
sation  between  the  three  was  invariably  of  politics. 
When  the  weather  was  fine  Cecil  and  his  wife  spent 
two  or  three  hours  of  every  day  out-of-doors,  and 
occasionally  attended  a  meet. 

The  fascination  of  politics,  when  the  mind  has 
fairly  opened  to  them,  is  indubitable;  and  Lee  not 
only  felt  proud  of  herself  that  her  understanding  and 
her  patience  stood  the  strain  of  this  mass  of  facts 

226 


and  English  Husbands  v 

—  whose  skeletons  fairly  rattled  —  which  mounted 
higher  and  higher  on  her  lapis-lazuli  table  and  en 
croached  upon  the  divan  and  all  of  the  ancient  chairs, 
but  she  took  a  keen  mental  delight  in  the  acquiring 
of  knowledge;  and  what  knowledge  to  the  alert 
modern  mind  can  equal  the  charm  of  current 
history?  Although  her  primary  purpose  was  to 
bind  her  husband  to  her  by  every  fetter  she  could 
devise,  she  occasionally  saw  herself  the  centre  of  a 
political  salon,  when  the  world  had  pronounced  her 
the  brilliant  wife  of  a  great  man. 

It  was  not  later  than  the  beginning  of  the  second 
month  of  their  close  mental  intercourse  that  Lee 
made  one  of  her  most  important  discoveries  regard 
ing  her  husband ;  he  had  intellectual  heights  and 
depths  which  she  would  never  touch.  She  had 
cleverness  far  above  the  average  of  her  sex,  and, 
had  she  chosen,  she  would  have  had  every  right  to 
pose  as  an  intellectual  woman ;  but  she  had  distinct 
limitations,  and  one  proof  of  her  cleverness  was  that 
she  recognised  and  accepted  them.  The  discovery 
arrived  in  the  wake  of  a  pleased  reflection  that  it 
was  certainly  a  privilege  to  be  in  constant  contact 
with  a  mind  like  Cecil  Maundrell's,  and  that  she  was 
distinctly  grateful  for  it.  For  a  time  she  was  morti 
fied  and  depressed,  for  it  was  her  first  intimation  that 
she  was  not  all  that  the  gods  or  man  could  desire ; 
but  it  was  her  mental  habit  to  face  facts  and  digest 
them,  and  when  this  was  disposed  of  she  considered 
its  possible  results.  Her  conclusions  soothed  her. 
She  knew  something  of  men.  When  Cecil  tasted  to 
the  full  the  sweets  of  masculine  superiority  over  the 

227 


*       American  Wives 

mate  with  whom  he  was  so  delighted,  and  of  whom 
so  justly  proud,  there  would  be  still  another  bond 
between  them.  Far  be  it  from  her  to  attempt  to 
throw  dust  into  his  keen  eyes  by  feminine  blandish 
ment  and  subterfuge ;  she  admitted  the  truth,  when 
ever  the  opportunity  offered,  with  spontaneous  bursts 
of  admiration ;  and  if  Cecil  had  not  been  flattered  he 
would  have  been  less  than  human. 

"  I  don't  see  how  I  shall  ever  be  permitted  to 
become  discouraged,"  he  said  one  day  with  some 
humour,  looking  into  the  rapt  and  beautiful  eyes 
opposite  him.  "  I  believe  if  I  made  an  egregious  ass 
of  myself  in  the  House,  you  would  persuade  me  that 
I  was  too  great  to  be  understood  by  my  fellow-men." 

"  I  'm  not  a  goose,  thank  you.  But  you  '11  never 
make  an  ass  of  yourself,  so  it  doesn't  matter.  Of 
course  you  '11  be  a  great  man." 

"  I  wish  I  could  believe  it." 

"  It 's  plain  enough  to  every  one  else.  All  you 
need  is  ambition,  and  I  can  see  that  growing  already. 
If  your  party  is  defeated,  so  much  the  better  for  you. 
You  can  devote  your  energies  and  your  gifts  to  put 
ting  new  life  into  it.  You  're  just  what  the  old  fogies 
need.  I  don't  see  how  you  could  start  out  more 
favourably,  and  I  don't  see  what  is  to  prevent  your 
being  the  next  great  man." 

Cecil's  nostrils  quivered  suddenly.  He  looked  for 
an  instant  longer  into  the  eyes  that  had  expressed 
many  more  things  to  him  than  admiration  for  his 
intellectual  equipment,  put  out  his  hand  impulsively 
and  took  hers,  then  returned  to  his  studies. 


228 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER   IX 

THEY  moved  up  to  town  on  the  third  of  April. 
Lady  Barnstaple  had  taken  a  tiny  and  costly 
house  for  them  in  Green  Street,  and  as  there  had 
been  much  correspondence  on  the  subject,  and  many 
samples  had  travelled  from  London  to  Yorkshire  and 
back,  it  was  almost  in  order  when  the  young  couple 
arrived  to  take  possession. 

"  For  goodness'  sake,  have  it  light  and  bright," 
Lady  Barnstaple  had  written.  "  London  is  such  a 
grimy  hole,  people  simply  love  colour.  Don't  mind 
bothering  me ;  if  I  were  poor  I  'd  be  a  house  decor 
ator.  The  only  fault  I  had  to  find  with  the  Abbey 
was  that  it  was  furnished." 

Lee  found  her  doll's  house  a  delicious  nest  of 
colour  and  luxury  after  the  feudal  severity  of  her 
tower;  and  although  Cecil  was  even  more  serious 
than  when  he  had  married,  she  managed,  during  that 
first  spring  in  London,  to  make  him  feel  that  they 
were  playing  at  keeping  house  and  at  the  lighter  side 
of  life.  She  could  always  amuse  and  interest  him 
when  she  thought  it  wise  to  do  so. 

They  went  out  very  little,  for  he  detested  crushes 
in  hot  ill-ventilated  rooms,  and  large  dinners  were 
not  more  to  his  taste ;  but  he  liked  the  play,  and 
they  were  always  to  be  seen  at  Tattersall's  on  Sunday 

229 


American  Wives 

afternoons,  and  often  in  the  Park,  which  had  not  yet 
been  vulgarised  as  a  promenade.  In  the  mornings 
they  rose  early  and  rode  either  through  the  Park 
with  the  many  of  stereotyped  habits,  or  out  into 
the  country;  occasionally  to  Richmond,  where  they 
breakfasted  at  the  Star  and  Garter,  and  tried  to 
imagine  that  it  was  still  brilliant  and  wicked.  Some 
times,  of  an  afternoon,  they  traversed  three  or  four 
"  At  Homes,"  where  Lee  had  an  enchanting  sense  of 
being  in  the  great  world  at  last,  and  Cecil  kept  his 
eyes  longingly  on  the  windows.  At  the  play  they 
always  took  a  box,  as  Cecil  became  restless  in  the 
narrower  confines  of  the  stalls,  and  Lord  Barnstaple 
and  Mary  Gifford  usually  accompanied  them.  Lady 
Barnstaple,  although  she  sang  her  daughter-in-law's 
praises  in  a  loud  high  key,  flatly  refused  to  elevate 
her  passing  charms  into  a  box  of  which  Lee  was  the 
radiant  and  novel  star.  Lee  was  greatly  admired, 
and  knew  that  she  could  have  been  the  bride  of  the 
season,  had  Cecil  permitted ;  but  although  she  felt 
some  natural  regret,  especially  when  her  mother-in- 
law  expostulated,  and  Lady  Mary  Gifford  commiser 
ated,  on  the  whole  she  did  not  care.  Cecil  barely 
let  her  out  of  his  sight,  and  once  he  sulked  for  an 
entire  day  because  she  went  to  a  luncheon ;  she  was 
happy,  and  nothing  else  mattered.  When  she  was 
stared  out  of  countenance  at  the  opera  and  theatre 
he  took  it  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  the  newspaper 
comments  were  less  to  his  taste,  and  he  peremptorily 
forbade  her  to  give  her  photograph  to  any  of  the 
illustrated  weeklies,  or  to  be  the  heroine  of  certain 
enterprising  "  lady-journalists,"  who  wished  to  ex- 

230 


and  English  Husbands 

ploit  her  beauty  and  her  many  delectable  gowns. 
Her  semi-seclusion  gave  her  a  touch  of  mystery,  and 
one  woman's  magazine  would  have  made  her  known 
to  fifty  thousand  provincials ;  but  Cecil  was  disgusted 
at  the  bare  idea  of  sharing  his  wife  with  the  public, 
and  flung  the  artful  request  for  an  interview  into  the 
fire.  Lee  was  much  amused,  and  assured  him  that 
Mrs.  Montgomery  had  brought  her  up  to  regard 
notoriety  with  horror. 

"  And  after  all,"  she  said  to  Lady  Barnstaple, 
"suppose  I  did  become  a  professional  beauty,  that 
would  place  Cecil  in  a  contemptible  position,  and  I  'd 
rather  be  a  desperate  failure  than  do  that." 

"  Oh,  bother!  But  it's  no  use  talking  to  a  woman 
in  love.  You  '11  sacrifice  your  youth  to  a  selfish  brute 
of  a  man  and  spend  your  thirties  regretting  it  and 
your  forties  making  up  for  lost  time.  I  love  Cecil, 
and  of  course  I  'm  glad  to  see  him  happy,  but  he 's  as 
selfish  as  all  men,  and  you  're  making  him  more  so. 
I  don't  say  you  won't  keep  him.  I  believe  you  will, 
for  he 's  the  sort  that  would  rather  be  faithful  to  his 
wife  than  not  —  does  n't  take  after  his  illustrious  par 
ent —  but  he'll  soon  take  you  as  a  matter  of  course, 
and  then  you  '11  realise  what  the  world  could  do  for 
you.  God  knows  what  I  should  have  done  without 
it,  and  if  I  ever  have  to  go  under,  a  dose  of  laudanum 
will  do  the  rest." 

But  Cecil  gave  no  sign  of  taking  his  wife  as  a  mat 
ter  of  course.  It  is  true  that  he  took  all  and  gave 
nothing  —  except  his  love.  That  Lee  might  have  an 
inner  life  of  her  own  never  crossed  his  mind ;  that  it 
had  ever  crossed  any  one's  else  that  she  was  fitted 

231 


American  Wives 

for  a  career  more  or  less  apart  from  his  own,  how 
ever  parallel  with  it,  he  would  have  resented  as  an 
insult  to  them  both ;  and  he  had  long  since  dismissed 
from  his  thoughts  certain  complexities  which  had 
puzzled  and  worried  him  during  the  weeks  of  their 
engagement.  He  was  perfectly  satisfied  with  her; 
although  he  had  begged  to  be  released  from  paying 
her  compliments,  and  had  received  his  discharge,  he 
would  have  had  her  changed  in  nothing.  Her  beauty 
and  passion  held  him  in  thrall,  and  he  was  more  than 
grateful  for  the  companionship  she  offered  him,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  incense.  He  would  have  liked  to 
be  rich  that  he  might  have  had  the  pleasure  of  mak 
ing  her  many  beautiful  presents,  but  he  was  philo 
sophical^  and  wasted  no  time  in  regrets.  And  he 
was  not  wholly  an  egoist,  for  he  occasionally  reminded 
himself  that  he  was  the  luckiest  chap  alive ;  and  when 
he  glanced  along  the  future,  and  reflected  that  for  each 
of  the  severe  trials,  mortifications,  and  disappoint 
ments  of  his  public  career  he  should  find  solace,  and 
even  forgetfulness,  in  his  home,  he  felt  that  there 
were  indeed  no  limits  to  his  good  fortune. 

Did  he  ever  think  of  Maundrell  Abbey  at  this 
time?  He  gave  no  sign.  But  possibly  he  saw  no 
reason  for  anxiety.  Emmy  was  entertaining  magnifi 
cently,  and  had  informed  her  family  that  Chicago  had 
taken  a  sudden  leap  in  the  direction  of  certain  of  her 
town  lots,  and  trebled  their  value.  Lee,  in  spite  of 
the  gossip  with  which  Lady  Mary  Gifford  regaled  her 
concerning  almost  every  woman  in  Society,  was  not 
inclined  to  think  evil  spontaneously  of  any  one,  but 
she  overheard  one  woman  say  to  another,  with  a 

232 


and  English  Husbands 

shrug  of  the  shoulders,  that  "  Lady  Barnstaple  had 
taken  up  with  the  wrong  man,"  and  she  was  surprised 
at  the  constant  presence  of  Mr.  Algernon  Fix  in  her 
mother-in-law's  house.  Mr.  Fix  had  none  of  his 
sister's  aristocratic  beauty,  although  he  was  good- 
looking  in  a  common  way;  he  was  very  dark,  with 
eyes  set  close  together,  and  he  had  a  neat  little  figure. 
His  manner  was  polite  to  exaggeration,  but  his  accent 
was  fatal,  and  three  years  of  Society  had  not  curbed 
his  love  of  diamonds.  In  truth,  his  position  was  very 
precarious.  Some  women  liked  him,  but  the  men 
barely  accepted  him,  despite  the  determined  bolster 
ing  of  several  of  Victoria's  powerful  friends ;  and  as 
he  had  never  even  attempted  to  handle  a  gun,  and 
feared  a  horse  as  he  feared  the  snub  of  a  Duchess, 
his  social  future  ran  off  into  vague  perspectives.  He 
was  wise  enough  never  to  accept  invitations  to  the 
country,  and  Lee  had  not  met  him  until  she  moved 
up  to  town.  He  was  the  sort  of  man  whom  she  had 
heretofore  associated  with  drapers'  counters  and  rail 
way  trains,  and  inevitably  she  snubbed  him. 

"  I'd  be  very  much  obliged  to  you  if  you'd  treat 
my  friends  decently,"  said  Lady  Barnstaple  sharply,' 
when  they  were  alone. 

"  Surely  he  is  not  a  friend  of  yours." 

"His  sister  is  my  very  most  intimate  friend;  and 
as  for  him  —  well,  yes,  I  do  like  him — immensely. 
It  means  something  to  me,  I  can  tell  you,  to  have  a 
man  show  me  the  thousand  and  one  little  attentions 
that  women  love  —  and  to  think  me  still  beautiful; 
and  he  does.  I  don't  say  he  would  if  I  were  not  the 
Countess  of  Barnstaple,  and  miles  above  him  socially 

233 


American  Wives 

—  I  'm  no  fool  —  but  that  he  can  be  really  dazzled 
means  a  great  deal  to  me,  and  when  you  're  my  age 
you  '11  know  why." 

Lee  reflected  that  probably  the  bond  between  them 
was  the  commonness  of  both,  and  that  "  Emmy  "  was 
a  striking  instance  of  heredity,  then  dismissed  the 
subject  from  her  mind.  Lord  Barnstaple,  who  never 
took  a  meal  in  his  wife's  house,  except  in  company 
with  many  others,  and  took  many  at  the  little  house 
in  Green  Street,  was  apparently  unaware  of  the  exist 
ence  of  Mr.  Pix,  although  he  commented  freely,  and 
with  caustic  emphasis,  upon  the  idiosyncrasies  of  his 
legal  wife. 


274 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  X 

ON  June  twenty-eighth  Parliament  was  prorogued 
for  the  elections,  and  Cecil  and  Lee  went  to 
Yorkshire  at  once. 

Lord  Maundrell  made  a  number  of  speeches,  made 
himself  agreeable  to  many  men  whom  he  would  have 
preferred  to  kick,  and  received  his  nomination.  The 
contest  was  bitter  and  exciting,  and  Lee  designated 
her  husband  during  this  period,  for  want  of  a  better 
term,  as  "  less  English  "  than  she  had  yet  known  him. 
There  were  times  when  he  let  her  see  just  how  per 
turbed  and  excited  he  was,  carefully  as  he  secluded 
his  inner  mind  from  others.  Lee,  in  the  little  stone 
villages,  that  looked  as  if  they  might  have  been  built 
by  the  heirs  of  the  cave-dwellers,  played  the  part 
made  familiar  to  her  by  the  novel  and  the  stage,  and, 
for  the  life  of  her,  could  not  take  herself  seriously. 
Her  difficulty  was  increased  by  the  fact  that  she  could 
not  understand  two  words  in  ten  of  the  Yorkshire 
dialect.  The  villagers  understood  her  as  little,  but 
there  was  no  doubt  that  her  uncommon  beauty  and 
her  gracious  and  magnetic  manner  duly  impressed 
them. 

Cecil  was  returned,  but  his  party  was  defeated ;  and 
he  convinced  Lee  that  without  her  his  melancholy 
would  have  lasted  fully  a  month. 

235 


American  Wives 

There  were  still  two  weeks  before  the  twelfth  of 
August,  and  they  took  a  run  over  to  Normandy. 
After  their  return,  life  until  December  was  precisely 
what  it  had  been  the  year  before.  The  same  people, 
almost  without  exception,  came  in  four  instalments  to 
the  Abbey  for  the  six  weeks  which  followed  the  open 
ing  of  the  grouse  season,  and  it  seemed  to  Lee  that 
they  talked  about  precisely  the  same  things.  The 
men  spent  the  day  on  the  moors,  and  at  dinner  talked 
when  they  felt  like  talking  at  all,  of  the  bags  which 
had  been  made,  the  condition  of  the  birds  and  the 
moor,  and  the  weather  prospects,  occasionally  indulg 
ing  in  reminiscences  of  other  years.  The  women 
played  tennis  and  golf,  rode  or  drove,  or  sat  about 
the  Abbey.  After  dinner  the  men  roused,  and  per 
mitted  themselves  to  be  flirted  with,  either  in  historic 
boudoirs  or  across  the  billiard  tables,  and  there  were 
many  who  played  high  and  late.  Cecil  and  Lee 
usually  started  on  their  long  walk  to  the  tower  about 
midnight  after  a  long  and  fatiguing  day. 

When  Emmy's  guests  had  gone,  Lee  went  out  with 
Lord  Barnstaple,  her  husband,  and  half  a  dozen  other 
enthusiasts,  and  persuaded  herself  that  sport  was  really 
absorbing  whether  one  had  been  brought  up  to  it  or 
not.  It  was  certainly  preferable  to  wandering  all  day 
long  by  oneself  over  an  immense  and  echoing  Abbey, 
or  driving  to  neighbouring  estates,  and  taking  tea  with 
women  who  rarely  went  up  to  London. 

When  the  hunting  season  came,  although  the 
novelty  of  riding  hard  after  a  yelping  pack  with  some 
twenty  men  in  beautiful  pink  coats,  or  even  of  danc 
ing  with  the  latter  at  hunt  balls,  was  no  longer  a  part 

236 


and  English  Husbands 

of  her  pleasure,  she  felt  that  the  chase  would  wear 
when  other  things  had  palled,  although  she  would 
have  been  glad  to  return  to  the  Abbey  for  December. 
They  visited,  however,  and  they  hunted,  and  they 
shot;  they  graced  farmers'  balls  and  hunt  races  with 
their  presence,  and  they  even  attended  a  great  magic- 
lantern  show ;  only  returning  to  the  Abbey  for  a  few 
days  at  Christmas.  Lord  Barnstaple  went  to  Paris, 
and  the  young  people  were  alone.  It  was  a  blessed 
interval  of  rest,  during  which  Lee  exacted  from  Cecil 
a  solemn  promise  that  he  would  not  mention  sport, 
adding  hastily  that  she  adored  it,  but  was  horribly 
jealous,  and  did  not  want  him  to  think  of  a  thing  but 
herself  for  an  entire  week.  And  to  his  credit  it  must 
be  said  that  he  seemed  to  find  no  difficulty  in  humour 
ing  her. 

In  January  they  went  to  Paris  for  a  fortnight,  as 
Lee's  wardrobe  needed  replenishing,  and  in  February 
Cecil's  parliamentary  duties  began,  and  they  settled 
down  in  London  when  it  was  at  its  dreariest  and  ugli 
est,  and  the  rest  of  England  was  moist  but  beautiful. 
Lee  was  alone  now,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  week, 
from  three  in  the  afternoon  until  midnight  or  the 
small  hours  of  the  morning,  although  she  frequently 
went  to  the  Ladies'  Gallery  of  the  House  and  brought 
Cecil  back  to  dinner;  or  took  tea  with  him  on  the 
Terrace,  which  she  thought  very  interesting.  There 
was  always  —  for  a  reasonable  time  —  at  least  one 
distinguished  man  to  be  pointed  out,  and  she  liked 
to  conjure  up  the  days  when  the  Thames  was  gay 
with  the  barges  of  sovereigns  and  their  courtiers,  in 
stead  of  mildly  picturesque  with  penny  boats  and 

237 


American  Wives 

queer-looking  water  vehicles  for  which  Cecil  had  no 
name. 

When  the  young  member  was  not  too  busy  they  still 
rode  or  walked  in  the  morning,  and  attended  the  play 
or  the  opera  at  night.  Occasionally  they  went  to  a 
dinner  or  a  party,  and  as  Emmy's  entertaining  this 
year  took  the  form  of  morning  concerts,  with  divas 
and  tenors  to  beckon  the  fickle  world,  Cecil  made  a 
martyr  of  himself  upon  these  occasions  as  gracefully 
as  he  could. 

On  the  whole,  Lee,  although  she  left  a  good  many 
cards  and  received  on  Tuesdays,  saw  less  of  Society 
than  during  the  preceding  season,  and  learned  of  its 
doings  and  of  what  faint  interest  it  still  felt  in  her  from 
Lord  Barnstaple  and  Mary  Gifford,  who  came  fre 
quently  to  luncheon  or  tea.  However,  she  assured 
herself  that  after  the  late  hours  of  the  autumn  and 
early  winter  she  was  glad  to  get  her  beauty  sleep 
again,  and  went  to  bed  at  ten  o'clock. 

When  there  was  an  important  debate  on  in  the 
House  she  always  attended,  and  more  than  once 
came  home  with  Cecil  at  two  in  the  morning.  Such 
speeches  as  she  did  not  hear  she  read  next  morning, 
as  well  as  the  comments  thereon  in  no  less  than  six 
different  newspapers ;  and  she  frequently  assured 
herself  that  her  political  education  was  comparable 
with  that  of  any  Englishwoman  born.  Her  enthusi 
asm  undoubtedly  had  its  reward,  for  not  only  was 
Cecil  pleased  and  grateful,  but  when  they  attended 
dinners  of  more  or  less  political  significance  she  in 
variably  incited  her  partner  to  speech,  no  matter  how 
silent  Heaven  had  made  him.  One,  and  he  was 

238 


and  English  Husbands 

famous  and  stout,  and  had  buried  conversation  with 
other  follies  of  his  past,  surprised  himself  by  informing 
her  that  she  could  talk  politics  with  her  eyes  more 
eloquently  than  any  woman  in  England  with  all  the 
resources  of  a  large  vocabulary  and  all  the  ambition 
inspired  by  the  heroines  of  Disraeli. 

Lord  Barnstaple  laughed  when  she  related  this 
anecdote. 

"  Oh,  you  will  be  wanting  a  salon  next,"  he  said. 
"  It  is  quite  natural  you  should  picture  statesmen 
crowding  your  rooms  —  I  am  making  no  reflection 
on  the  size  of  your  house  —  and  whispering  their 
secrets  in  your  pretty  little  ear  —  or  seeing  themselves 
upside  down  in  your  eloquent  eyes." 

Lee  coloured  and  lifted  her  chin  in  a  manner  which 
even  a  father-in-law  must  find  charming.  "  I  could 
have  one  if  I  liked —  and  that  quite  satisfies  me,  thank 
you." 

"  I'm  sorry  you  can't  go  out  more,  though,"  he  said 
tentatively.  "  You  are  young  and  admired,  and  of 
course  you  like  what  women  call  pleasure." 

"I  don't  care  a  rap  about  it,"  she  said  with  empha 
sis.  "  I  am  sure  one  hard  London  season  would  bore 
me  to  death." 

"Quite  so.  Quite  so.  It's  just  a  beastly  grind, 
nothing  more.  You  're  really  far  better  off  in  the  way 
you  have  chosen.  I  am  glad  to  see  you  so  happy. 
Cecil  is  certainly  a  lucky  dog." 

"  You  gave  me  some  good  advice  that  day."  She 
smiled  brilliantly  into  his  watchful  eyes. 

"  Oh,  you  were  quite  clever  enough  to  have  arrived 
at  the  same  conclusions  without  my  help.  Of  course 

239 


American  Wives 

if  you  had  wanted  a  flashing  career  of  your  own,  or 
had  been  a  silly  woman,  greedy  for  admiration  and 
intrigue,  it  would  have  been  a  different  matter  —  a 
terribly  different  matter  for  Cecil.  But  you  wanted 
happiness,  and  there  is  only  one  way  to  get  it." 


240 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XI 

IT  was  not  long  before  Cecil's  abilities  were  recog 
nised.  Something  was  expected  of  him,  for  he 
came  of  a  line  of  able  Parliamentarians;  and  as  he 
was  already  famous  as  a  sportsman,  he  commanded 
an  interest  by  no  means  inspired  by  the  average 
young  man  of  an  illustrious  house. 

When  the  time  came  for  him  to  make  his  first 
speech,  shortly  before  the  end  of  the  Session,  Lee  sat 
in  the  gallery  with  an  icy  exterior  surrounding  a  furi 
ous  nerve  storm.  The  day  was  dark  and  depressing. 
Those  long  rows  of  faces  had  never  looked  more 
apathetic ;  it  was  enough  to  make  a  novice  feel,  as  he 
rose  and  confronted  the  bored  old  veterans,  that  he 
was  on  trial  for  his  life.  If  Cecil  failed  Lee  felt  that 
she  could  hate  him,  not  because  the  world  would  curl 
its  lip,  but  because  Cecil,  mortified,  stammering,  a 
failure,  would  be  an  ideal  in  collapse.  She  might 
oust  these  unworthy  sentiments  later,  and  sympathise 
with  him  in  his  distress,  but  she  could  never  quite 
rehabilitate  him.  He  might  be  defeated  in  the  most 
significant  climaxes  of  his  career,  his  party  might 
turn  upon  and  rend  him,  and  she  would  pour  all  the 
wealth  of  her  nature  at  his  feet,  but  if  he  made  a  fool 
of  himself,  she'd  never  forgive  him. 

But  Cecil  had  no  intention  of  making  a  fool  of 
himself.  Moreover,  his  training  at  Oxford,  when 
16  241 


American  Wives 

the  Union  had  rung  with  his  salad  eloquence,  made 
itself  manifest  among  the  other  foundations  of  his 
mind  and  character.  He  was  neither  nervous  nor 
too  diffident.  In  fact  he  opened  so  easily  that  Lee 
thrilled  with  pride  and  excoriated  herself.  When 
he  got  his  first  "Hear!"  her  knees  jerked;  she 
realised  how  excited  she  was,  and  glanced  about  the 
gallery  hastily;  but  in  that  dim  cage  she  had  little 
to  fear.  He  demanded  the  attention  of  the  House 
for  something  over  an  hour,  and  he  would  have 
scorned  to  amuse  it;  but  his  speech  was  terse  and 
packed  with  his  own  thought;  it  had  not  a  platitude 
in  it,  nor  a  time-honoured  sentiment.  He  might  or 
might  not  become  a  brilliant  speaker  when  he  had 
acquired  sufficient  practice  and  confidence  to  let 
himself  go,  but  that  he  was  a  Maundrell  to  be  reck 
oned  with  had  been  conceded  long  before  he  sat 
down. 

Lee  was  with  him  in  the  lobby  when  he  received 
the  congratulations  of  men  many  years  older  than 
himself,  and  the  next  morning  she  brought  all  the 
newspapers,  and  pasted  the  highly  laudatory  articles 
on  the  rising  sun  into  a  scrap-book.  She  cunningly 
persuaded  him  to  be  photographed,  and  as  his  repu 
tation  waxed  she  supplied  the  weekly  papers  with 
his  distinguished  profile.  He  was  moved  to  wrath, 
but  his  wife's  fervid  admiration  was  very  sweet  to 
him,  and  when  she  pleaded  it  as  her  excuse  for  tak 
ing  a  step  without  consulting  him,  he  forgave  her 
instantly. 

They  could  not  get  away  in  time  for  a  trip  abroad 
that  year,  much  to  Lee's  disappointment;  for  the 

242 


and  English  Husbands 

Continent  was  one  vast  romantic  ruin  to  her,  varied 
with  shops  and  the  picturesque  costumes  of  peasants. 
The  late  summer  and  autumn  and  early  winter  were 
precisely  like  the  summer  and  autumn  and  early 
winter  of  the  year  before.  They  entertained  the 
same  people,  visited  the  same  houses ;  and  this  time 
Lee  had  the  novel  feeling  of  amazement  for  a  people 
who  were  just  as  much  pleased  and  just  as  absorbed 
as  if  a  benign  Providence  had  gifted  them  with  the 
instinct  for  variety. 

"No  wonder  they  are  great,"  she  thought,  with  a 
sigh. 

In  January  the  London  maisonnette  was  open 
again,  and  as  gay  as  flowers  and  upholstery  and 
lamp  shades  could  make  it.  Cecil  for  some  time 
past  had  meditated  a  Bill  for  the  relief  of  certain 
manufacturers,  and  had  worked  at  it  on  odd  days 
during  the  recess.  He  introduced  it,  and  it  failed, 
for  it  was  practically  a  demand  for  the  exclusion  of 
much  that  was  "made  in  Germany,"  and  was  re 
garded  as  a  covert  and  audacious  attack  on  Free 
Trade.  His  Speech  in  its  behalf  was  the  most  bril 
liant  he  had  yet  made,  and  he  was  bitterly  denounced 
by  the  Liberal  and  Radical  press  next  morning. 
Nor  did  their  attentions  cease  with  their  comments 
on  his  Bill  and  Speech.  From  that  time  on  he  was 
regarded  by  the  Opposition  as  a  man  to  be  sneered 
into  the  cooler  regions  of  private  life.  His  con 
stituency  was  warned  by  that  section  of  its  press 
whose  principles  he  did  not  represent,  and  he  was 
accused  of  having  pledged  his  abilities,  "such  as 
they  were,"  to  a  lifelong  fight  against  progress,  and 

243 


American  Wives 

of  a  criminal  indifference  to  Home  Rule  and  to  the 
unfortunate  Armenian. 

Of  these  jeremiads  —  which  Cecil  refused  to  read, 
having  made  up  his  mind  and  being  at  peace  with 
his  conscience  —  Lee  was  as  proud  as  of  the  many 
compliments  which  the  young  member  received,  and 
she  pasted  them  dutifully  in  the  scrap-book.  Of 
Society  she  saw  something  less  than  ever,  although 
her  mother-in-law  adjured  her  not  to  "make  a  fool 
of  herself."  She  admitted  that  she  should  like  to 
go  to  some  of  the  great  parties,  and  to  an  occa 
sional  supper  at  the  Savoy,  under  Lady  Barnstaple's 
wing;  for  her  evenings  were  lonely,  and  politics 
would  have  been  even  more  interesting  if  seasoned 
with  variety.  She  asked  Cecil,  with  an  apologetic 
blush,  if  he  would  mind. 

He  plunged  his  hands  into  his  pockets. 

"  Are  you  very  keen  on  it  ? "  he  asked. 

"Oh,  I'm  not  mad  about  it,  but  I  haven't  seen 
much  of  London  Society,  and  it  interests  me;  and  I 
have  so  much  time  on  my  hands." 

"I'm  afraid  you  must  get  rather  bored.  I'm 
sorry  I  have  to  be  so  much  away  from  you.  But  —  I 
hate  to  see  women  running  about  without  their 
husbands.  Besides  it 's  always  the  beginning  of  the 
end  —  when  a  woman  goes  her  way  and  a  man  his. 
It 's  selfish  of  me,  but  I  like  to  think  of  you  as 
always  here.  As  you  know,  I  break  away  some 
times,  and  come  home  unexpectedly " 

"""You  haven't  this  year." 

"We  've  been  so  confoundedly  busy.  But  I  often 
think  of  you,  and  I  like  to  picture  you  in  this  room 

244 


and  English  Husbands 

with  a  book,  or  asleep  when  other  women  are  baking 
their  complexions. " 

Lee  smiled.  "  That  was  very  astute.  You  would 
rather  I  did  not  go  out,  then  ? " 

"  I  feel  a  selfish  brute.  Let  me  know  what  you 
particularly  want  to  go  to,  and  I'll  try  to  pair  and 
take  you  myself." 

But  Lee  knew  that  he  hated  the  very  thought  of 
it,  and  he  was  more  and  more  absorbed  in  his  work. 
Of  his  ambition  there  was  now  no  question ;  he  had 
even  gone  so  far  as  to  half  admit  it  to  her.  He  did 
not  return  to  the  subject,  upon  which  their  conver 
sation  had,  indeed,  been  so  brief  that  he  might  be 
pardoned  for  forgetting  it.  Lee  attempted  to  find 
oblivion  in  the  mass  of  data  elucidative  of  colonial 
history,  past  and  present,  to  which  Cecil,  with  his 
usual  thoroughness,  was  devoting  his  leisure.  It 
had  been  his  purpose,  from  the  moment  he  had 
decided  upon  his  career,  to  achieve  a  full  and  sym 
pathetic  understanding  of  the  colonies.  He  had 
given  no  little  attention  to  politics  in  India  and 
South  Africa,  as  well  as  to  their  peoples,  during  his 
sporting  tour,  and  he  intended  to  revisit  these  and 
other  parts  of  the  Empire  as  soon  as  he  felt  reason 
ably  sure  of  his  footing  at  home,  and  had  mastered 
the  enormous  bulk  of  colonial  conditions  in  the 
abstract.  He  had  no  belief  in  home-made  theories 
for  governing  the  alien  millions  of  the  English 
race. 

Lee  looked  forward  to  these  journeyings  with 
some  interest,  although  she  would  have  preferred  to 
explore  the  crumbling  and  rather  more  picturesque 

245 


American  Wives 

civilisations  of  Europe.  Travel  would  be  more  com 
fortable,  and  the  Continent  was  a  superb  theatre, 
under  superb  management  — to  take  it  seriously  was 
out  of  the  question ;  but  although  it  did  not  appeal 
to  the  soul,  it  was  a  delight  to  the  imagination. 
But  neither  the  one  change  in  her  programme  nor 
the  other  seemed  imminent ;  Cecil  found  too  much 
to  do  in  England.  The  present  routine  bid  fair  to 
last  for  three  or  four  years  to  come. 

And  to  have  argued  that  social  success  would 
have  conduced  to  her  husband's  advancement  would 
have  been  a  waste  of  words,  for  Cecil  was  a  man  of 
ideals  and  regarded  meretricious  connectives  with 
scorn.  He  was  very  much  elated  at  this  period,  for 
there  was  every  indication  that  the  Liberal  tenure 
was  a  brief  one,  and  that  his  party  was  regaining 
all  it  had  lost,  and  more.  He  intended  to  speak 
throughout  the  North,  pending  the  next  elections, 
and  he  had  good  reason  to  anticipate  that  his  ser 
vices  to  his  party  would  be  rewarded  with  that  first 
stepping-stone  to  power,  an  Under-Secretaryship. 
Lee  was  to  go  about  with  him,  of  course;  he  would 
as  soon  have  thought  of  leaving  one  of  his  members 
at  home,  and  she  looked  forward  to  the  variation  of 
the  usual  autumn  programme  with  some  enthusiasm. 
She  was  tremendously  proud  of  her  gifted  and  high- 
minded  young  husband,  and  when  disposed  to  repine, 
forced  into  her  mind  her  ten  years  of  unremitting 
determination  and  desire  to  marry  Cecil  Maundrell, 
and  her  girlish  hopes  and  dreams,  some  of  which 
had  certainly  been  realised. 

It  was  just  after  the  Easter  recess  that  he  began 
246 


and  English  Husbands 

to  feel  the  need  of  a  secretary,  for  he  was  doing 
certain  work  outside  the  House.  Lee  disliked  the 
idea  of  a  stranger  in  her  maisonnette,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  fact  that  she  would  see  less  of  her  husband 
by  many  hours,  and  offered  herself  for  the  post.  He 
was  surprised  and  delighted,  for  he  was  reserved 
almost  to  secrecy  with  every  one  else,  and  had  con 
templated  admitting  a  stranger  into  the  privacy  of 
his  study  with  much  distaste. 

"Are  you  sure  it  won't  tire  you?"  he  asked 
fondly.  He  was  always  very  careful  of  her. 

"Of  course  not!  And  I  haven't  a  thing  to  do, 
now  that  all  my  clothes  are  made.  I  'm  sick  of  the 
sight  of  Bond  Street.  You  know  I  love  to  feel  that 
I  am  of  use  to  you." 

"  You  are  always  that,  whether  you  are  doing  any 
thing  for  me  or  not.  I  'm  quite  selfish  enough  to 
accept  your  offer,  if  you  really  mean  it.  I  simply 
hated  the  thought  of  an  outsider.  But  if  I  find  it 
tires  or  bores  you,  we  can  put  a  stop  to  the  arrange 
ment  any  day. " 

It  bored  her,  but  he  never  knew  it.  As  she  had 
an  exuberant  vitality,  it  did  not  tire  her,  although 
she  sometimes  felt  very  nervous.  She  marvelled  at 
the  greatness  of  the  masculine  mind  which  could 
master  such  details  and  find  them  interesting,  and 
wondered  if  she  were  a  real  politician  after  all. 
Somewhat  to  her  amusement,  she  found  herself 
looking  forward  with  pleasure  to  the  sporting  season ; 
it  would  be  an  interval  of  comparative  liberty  and 
rest.  She  enjoyed  the  sensation  of  being  useful  to 
her  husband,  and  the  increased  companionship;  but 

247 


American  Wives 

it  was  trying  to  spend  so  much  of  the  morning 
indoors,  and  to  sit  up  by  herself  copying,  when  she 
preferred  being  in  bed,  or  reading  such  novels  as 
were  clever  enough  to  satisfy  a  mind  now  quite 
tuned  to  serious  things.  The  theatre  was  neglected 
during  the  last  two  months  of  the  Session,  for  Cecil 
grew  busier  and  busier,  and  worked  late  on  his  off 
nights.  Occasionally  he  examined  his  wife's  lovely 
face  anxiously  to  see  if  she  were  losing  her  colour, 
or  acquiring  any  little  fine  lines,  and  when  he  could 
discover  no  outward  symbol  of  injured  health  he 
begged  her  to  tell  him  if  she  were  really  equal  to 
the  strain.  When  she  assured  him  that  she  was 
profoundly  interested,  and  had  never  felt  better,  he 
assured  her  in  return  that  she  was,  indeed,  a  wife  of 
whom  any  man  might  be  proud.  Sometimes  she 
wished,  with  a  sigh,  that  his  wants  were  more 
spiritual.  She  might  revive  her  enthusiasm  if  he 
had  need  of  sympathy  and  solace,  but  the  world  was 
treating  him  very  well,  and  he  was  satisfied  and 
happy.  She  wondered  if  he  had  ever  been  anything 
else;  he  certainly  seemed  one  of  the  favoured  of 
earth. 


248 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER   XII 

A  DAY  or  two  before  the  end  of  the  season  Lee 
received  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Montgomery 
which  suggested  another  variation  in  the  autumn 
programme.  That  lady  and  Randolph  were  leaving 
France  for  England,  and  after  a  brief  visit  to  Tiny 
they  hoped  to  be  welcome  at  Maundrell  Abbey. 
The  junior  Gearys,  who  were  taking  a  belated  honey 
moon  (Mr.  Geary  had  died  a  week  after  the  wed 
ding),  would  arrive  in  England  in  the  latter  part  of 
August. 

Lee  had  seen  nothing  of  her  old  friends  since  her 
departure  from  California.  Lord  Arrowmount  had 
amused  himself  with  a  ranch  until  a  month  ago, 
when  he  had  returned  to  England  with  his  family, 
and  gone  straight  to  his  place  in  the  Midlands. 
Mrs.  Montgomery  had  remained  in  California  with 
them  for  two  years,  and  spent  the  last  year  with 
Randolph,  who  had  bought  a  ch&teau  in  Normandy 
and  seemed  to  be  devoting  himself  to  the  pleasures 
of  the  chasse.  For  two  years  he  had  sauntered  leis 
urely  about  the  world,  and  had  finally  made  his  home 
in  France,  as  the  sky  and  air  reminded  him  of  Cali 
fornia  and  the  life  did  not.  He  had  written  Lee  a 
brief  note  occasionally,  in  which  he  said  little  about 
himself,  and  gave  no  indication  that  his  sentiments 
towards  her  were  other  than  fraternal.  Nor  could 

249 


American  Wives 

she  guess  what  changes  might  have  been  wrought  in 
him,  although  he  remarked  once  that  the  longer  he 
remained  away  from  America  the  less  he  ever  wanted 
to  see  it  again.  Out  of  the  chaos  of  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery's  letters  Lee  gathered  that  he  was  improved; 
but  she  hoped  that  he  was  not  too  much  changed,  for 
with  the  prospect  of  her  old  friends'  advent  came  a 
lively  desire  for  something  like  a  renewal  of  old 
times.  To  her  letter  in  behalf  of  Maundrell  Abbey 
he  had  never  alluded,  and  she  had  not  revived  the 
subject,  for  she  had  expected  him  to  appear  at  any 
moment. 

She  went  at  once  to  the  house  in  Upper  Belgrave 
Street,  and  asked  her  mother-in-law  to  invite  the 
entire  party  to  the  Abbey  for  two  or  three  weeks  in 
August  and  September.  Lady  Barnstaple  happened 
to  be  in  a  particularly  gracious  humour. 

"I  shall  be  delighted  to  see  some  new  faces,"  she 
announced.  "  One  gets  sick  of  the  same  old  set  year 
after  year.  I  quite  liked  Lady  Arrowmount,  what 
little  I  saw  her  —  rather  prim  and  middle-classy, 
but,  enfin,  quite  convenable;  one  must  not  expect  too 
much  of  the  ancient  aristocracy  of  San  Francisco. 
You  've  improved  so  much,  dearest.  You  never  look 
shocked  any  more,  and  you  've  quite  lost  your  pro 
vincialisms.  When  you  came  you  were  like  a  sweet 
little  wild  flower  that  had  got  lost  in  a  conservatory. 
Now  you  are  tout  a  fait  grande  dame,  and  it  is  quite 
remarkable,  as  you  go  out  so  little.  But  you  always 
could  dress,  and  the  Society  papers  actually  mention 
your  frocks,  which  is  also  remarkable.  As  a  rule 
one  has  to  be  en  Evidence  all  the  time  to  retain  any 

250 


and  English  Husbands 

sort  of  interest.  But  you  are  pretty,  and  Cecil  is  so 
clever  —  a  selfish  beast,  though.  How  long  are  you 
going  to  keep  this  thing  up?  " 

"  Oh,  I  am  a  mere  creature  of  habit  now.  Who 
else  is  going  down  for  the  twelfth  ? " 

"  Mary  Gifford  —  could  n't  you  marry  her  to  Ran 
dolph  Montgomery?  It's  really  tragic  the  way  she 
hangs  on !  " 

"  Her  sisters  have  married,  so  I  suppose  she  could. 
I  don't  think  she  wants  to  marry.  Under  all  her 
loudness  she  's  a  queer  porcelain-like  creature,  and 
rather  shrinks  from  men." 

"  Fiddlesticks !  She  's  waiting  for  eighty  thousand 
a  year!  And  she's  quite  right.  Whether  she'll 

get  it  or  not she  's  a  real  beauty,  and  the  way  she 

keeps  on  looking  just  eighteen !  Well,  let  me  see : 
there  will  be  the  Fixes Mr.  Fix  has  really  con 
sented  to  come  at  last;  never  breathe  it,  but  he's 
been  taking  private  lessons  and  has  actually  learned 
how  to  shoot  as  straight  as  anybody.  I  think  Mary 
has  her  eye  on  him,  but  she  'd  better  not ! " 

"  Why  not  —  since  you  are  interested  in  her 
future?" 

"Because  I  'm  positive  he  's  the  only  man  living 
that  does  n't  see  my  wrinkles,  and  in  my  pocket 
he  '11  stay.  Well  —  there  will  be  the  Arrowmounts, 
Montgomerys,  Gearys,  Fixes,  Mary,  and  sixteen  or 
eighteen  of  the  usual  crowd:  the  Beaumanoirs, 
Larry  Monmouth,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Laun- 
cester,  Lord  and  Lady  Regent,  and,  oh,  the  ones 
one  has  to  have  or  drop  out.  But  I  'd  like  to  shake 
them  all  for  one  year." 

2S1 


American  Wives 

"I  thought  you  adored  English  people." 

"I  do  and  I  don't.  I  get  mad  sometimes  at  all 
the  trouble  they  give  me.  Look  at  Mary  Gifford ! 
She  hasn't  a  penny,  doesn't  lift  her  finger,  and 
she  's  in  and  out  of  every  great  house  in  England." 

"  Well  —  surely ;  she  belongs  to  them.  She  's  re 
lated  to  half  of  them  —  her  father  was  a  Marquis " 

"That's  just  it,"  said  Lady  Barnstaple,  with  a 
heavy  scowl.  "She  belongs  to  them.  I  don't.  I 
can't  complain  that  they  haven't  even  run  after  me, 
but  I  'm  not  intimate,  not  dead  intimate  with  one  of 
'em,  all  the  same." 

"What  does  it  matter?  You  had  ambitions  and 
you  've  satisfied  them.  There  must  always  be  some 
thing  beyond  one's  grasp." 

"There's  a  good  deal  beyond  mine,"  said  Lady 
Barnstaple  with  a  sigh.  "I  can't  be  young  again; 
and  when  I  had  youth  I  made  so  little  of  it." 

"Well,  you  dazzle  Mr.  Fix,"  said  Lee  lightly. 
"Let  that  console  you." 


252 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XIII 

LORD  ARROWMOUNT  and  Randolph  wrote 
to  Lady  Barnstaple  that  they  would  arrive  at 
the  Abbey  on  the  eleventh ;  Mrs.  Montgomery  was 
indisposed,  but  hoped  to  come  a  week  later  with 
Lady  Arrowmount.  The  Gearys  wrote  from  Paris 
to  expect  them  any  time  during  August. 

Lee  laughed  as  Lady  Barnstaple  tossed  her  back 
Coralie's  letter  with  a  sharp  exclamation. 

"They  are  both  spoiled  children,  you  know,  and 
Ned  has  ignored  social  obligations  all  his  life." 

"  He  can't  take  any  liberties  with  me  if  I  am  an 
American  —  or  was." 

"Oh,  you  're  quite  English." 

Lee  and  her  mother-in-law  exchanged  hooded  sar 
casms  occasionally,  but  on  the  whole  were  excellent 
acquaintances.  Lady  Barnstaple  had  never  paid  a 
second  visit  to  the  tower,  and  was  ignorant  of  her 
daughter-in-law's  depredations;  no  other  excuse  for 
a  quarrel  had  occurred.  Lee  having  made  up  her 
mind  to  accept  "  Emmy  "  —  there  being  no  alterna 
tive —  veiled  her  with  philosophy,  and  saw  as  little 
of  her  as  possible.  Lady  Barnstaple  forgave  the 
younger  woman  her  beauty,  as,  according  to  her 
lights,  it  might  as  well  have  blossomed  in  Sahara; 
and  she  uneasily  respected  the  obvious  will  beneath 

253 


American  Wives 

that   lovely   exterior,    and    frankly    admired    Lee's 
genius  for  dress. 

On  the  evening  of  the  eleventh  Lee  selected  her 
gown  with  unusual  care.  During  the  past  three 
years  she  had  dressed  for  no  man  but  her  husband, 
who  occasionally  informed  her  that  she  always 
looked  exactly  the  same  to  him  no  matter  what  she 
had  on,  and  she  had  been  as  indifferent  to  the  admir 
ing  glances  of  other  men  as  a  beautiful  woman  can 
be.  She  had  not  indulged  in  so  much  as  a  dinner 
flirtation,  and  had  kept  her  ideal  of  matrimonial 
bliss  so  close  to  her  eyes  that  she  had  occasionally 
received  a  hint  of  myopic  dangers  and  a  benumbing 
of  certain  mental  faculties.  Her  glance,  rising  on 
the  wing  of  a  phlegmatic  fancy,  sometimes  strayed 
to  the  right  or  left  of  the  steel  track  she  paced,  but 
it  returned  submissively;  and  the  only  alteration  in 
her  face  was  a  slightly  accentuated  determination  in 
the  curves  of  her  mouth.  During  the  last  six  months 
she  had  been  conscious  of  a  certain  restiveness,  but 
had  refused  to  analyse  it. 

It  was  quite  natural  to  dress  for  Randolph,  for  he 
was  an  old  and  valued  friend ;  and  it  was  certainly 
a  pleasure  to  dress  for  him,  for  he  appreciated  every 
detail  and  his  taste  was  exquisite.  She  therefore 
selected  the  sort  of  gown  in  which  he  had  always 
most  admired  her,  a  black  gauze  made  with  the'dash- 
ing  simplicity  which  suited  her  so  well. 

He  would  arrive  about  five.  She  sent  him  word 
to  dress  early  and  come  to  the  tower.  She  knew 
that  he  would  doubtless  be  detained  by  Cecil  in  the 
library  for  a  time,  but  she  was  in  her  boudoir  before 

254 


and  English  Husbands 

seven.  Her  flutter  of  excitement  was  very  agree 
able.  As  it  trembled  along  her  nerves  it  brought 
with  it  an  admitted  desire  for  a  whole  series  of  sud 
den  and  brilliant  changes.  She  wished  that  Ran 
dolph  had  come  straight  from  California,  for  she 
could  have  fancied  the  wild  winds  of  the  Pacific 
blowing  about  him.  She  had  learned  to  keep  Cali 
fornia  out  of  her  mind  for  many  months  at  a  time, 
but  to-night  as  she  stood  in  her  tower  looking  through 
the  narrow  ancient  window  on  the  calm  beauty  of  the 
English  landscape,  she  shook  with  homesickness  for 
that  land  which  seemed  to  have  all  space  just  above 
it,  and  as  many  moods  and  features  as  the  imagina 
tion  of  Byron.  The  sudden  nostalgia  was  as  much 
of  the  body  as  of  the  spirit.  Her  very  veins  seemed 
full  of  tears ;  in  her  brain  was  a  distinct  sensation 
of  nausea.  She  was  a  child  of  the  redwoods,  not  of 
the  landscape  garden. 

Randolph  came  up  the  stair  with  a  slower  step 
than  of  old,  but  with  as  light  a  foot.  Lee  was  con 
ventional  at  once. 

"  You  have  been  long  enough  crossing  the  Channel 
to  see  me,"  she  said  gaily,  and  shaking  him  warmly 
by  the  hand;  "but  you  know  I  never  harbour  malice, 
and  now —  I  am  simply  delighted  to  welcome  you." 

"  It  was  my  mother  that  kept  me  in  France  after  I 
got  within  crossing  distance  of  the  Channel;  her 
health  is  really  broken,  I  am  afraid." 

They  talked  of  Mrs.  Montgomery  for  some  time, 
while  studying  each  other.  Lee  hoped  that  if  he 
found  her  changed  his  surprise  and  approval  would 
equal  her  own.  He  had  transformed  himself  into 

255 


American  Wives 

what  he  would  have  become  years  since  had  his 
mother  taken  him  to  Europe  while  he  was  still  a 
boy,  and  kept  him  there.  His  restless  Americanism, 
his  careless  stoop,  the  nervous  play  of  his  features, 
even  the  lines  about  his  eyes  and  mouth  had  gone. 
His  erect  and  graceful  carriage  made  him  look  almost 
as  tall  as  Cecil  Maundrell.  He  was  a  trifle  stouter 
than  when  he  had  left  California;  and  he  was,  in 
his  new  habit,  so  handsome  and  so  distinguished, 
that  Lee  thrilled  with  the  pride  of  the  Montgomerys, 
and  of  the  South  before  the  War.  His  manner  was 
scarcely  fraternal,  nor  did  it  hint  of  the  lover,  dis 
carded  and  tenacious;  it  was  merely  that  of  an  ami 
able  man-of-the-world  pleased  to  renew  an  intimate 
friendship  with  a  charming  woman. 

"  Am  I  as  much  changed  as  you  are  ? "  asked  Lee 
impulsively. 

"Am  I  changed?  You  —  I  will  tell  you  when  I 
have  been  here  a  little  longer.  There  is  a  differ 
ence  —  although  that  gown  makes  you  look  very 
natural.  I  cannot  decide  what  it  is.  You  are  more 
beautiful  than  ever,  if  that  could  be  possible." 

It  was  so  long  since  Lee  had  received  a  vigorous 
compliment  that  she  blushed  with  delight. 

"I'm  so  glad  you've  come,  Randolph,"  she  ex 
claimed.  "  Do  talk  to  me  about  old  times  and  Cali 
fornia,  even  if  you  do  hate  the  thought  of  it." 

"  I  hate  the  thought  of  it  ?  " 

"Well,  you  hate  America." 

"Why  will  even  the  cleverest  of  women  add  so 
many  little  frills?  I  am  immensely  proud  of  the 
United  States;  I  would  have  been  born  under  no 

256 


and  English  Husbands 

other  flag.  What  I  do  hate  is  the  modern  spirit  of 
the  country  as  typified  by  New  York,  Chicago,  and 
San  Francisco.  I  love  California,  and  am  beginning 
to  get  a  little  homesick  for  her.  I  fancy  it  won't 
be  long  before  I  shall  suddenly  pack  my  trunk  and 
go  back  for  a  year." 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  go !     If  I  could  go !  " 

"Could  n't  we  all  go  back  together  next  year?  " 

"  Cecil  cannot  leave  England.  I  suppose  you  have 
not  heard " 

"That  great  things  are  expected  of  him.  I  take 
several  London  papers;  and,  when  travelling,  they 
are  always  at  the  clubs.  How  proud  you  must  be  of 
him." 

"  I  am ; "  but  she  was  thinking  of  California ;  and 
there  seemed  to  be  a  hundred  things  to  be  talked 
about  at  once.  There  had  been  a  time  when  she 
had  talked  to  Randolph  about  nearly  everything  that 
passed  through  her  mind.  That  time  came  sharply 
back  to  her. 

"That  is  one  of  the  changes  in  you,"  he  was  say 
ing.  "You  have  the  least  little  more  pride  in  your 
carriage.  You  never  were  very  humble,  but  this  is 
a  sort  of  double  duplicated  pride,  as  it  were.  And 
—  yes  —  you  are  more  intellectual  looking.  It  is 
that  which  has  dissipated  your  girlishness  without 
ageing  you  a  particle." 

"  Oh,  I  am  intellectual !  I  've  been  on  one  long 
intellectual  orgie  for  the  last  three  years.  I  'm  ready 
for  a  change.  If  you  've  been  cramming  your  brain, 
don't  you  try  to  impress  me;  and  don't  you  dare  to 
mention  politics." 

17  257 


American  Wives 

Randolph  laughed.  "  I  should  not  think  of  such 
a  thing.  My  interest  is  too  cursory  to  burden  my 
conversation.  And  as  for  books  —  I  've  read  a  good 
many  on  rainy  days  since  I  saw  you  last,  and  am 
better  for  them ;  but  I  have  spent  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  living  books  of  many  sorts. " 

"Have  you  grown  serious?  You  used  to  take  life 
so  lightly.  So  did  everybody.  So  did  I." 

"I  am  afraid  I  still  take  life  with  reprehensible 
lightness.  I  have  got  an  immense  amount  of  fun 
out  of  the  old  world." 

"  Do  you  remember  how  we  used  to  roar  —  you 
and  Coralie  and  Tom  and  I  ?  And  about  nothing ! 
We  were  such  good  laughers !  " 

"  I  hope  you  have  n't  forgotten  how." 

"  Not  much  !  But  I  'm  out  of  practice.  Let  's  go 
up  on  top  of  the  fell  to-morrow,  and  sit  down  on  the 
ground  and  shriek." 

Randolph  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed  so 
heartily  that  Lee  caught  the  infection  of  it,  and  in 
a  moment  was  leaping  from  peal  to  peal.  She  caught 
herself  up. 

"I  shall  have  hysterics.  And  it's  nearly  dinner 
time.  I  've  got  to  go  down  and  talk  grouse  pros 
pects  and  the  tantalising  peculiarities  of  that  loath 
some  bird  for  two  hours.  I  don't  know  if  I  dare 
put  you  on  my  other  side.  I  'm  afraid  I  'd  giggle 
like  an  idiot  all  through  dinner  if  I  did.  I  sup 
pose  it 's  reaction,  but  I  really  feel  on  the  verge  of 
idiocy." 

"The  result  of  my  sudden  appearance.  I  am 
immensely  flattered." 

258 


and  English  Husbands 

"  Oh,  you  would  be  if  you  knew !  Cecil  is  simply 
perfect;  don't  think  I  am  casting  the  faintest  reflec 
tion  on  him.  It's  the  life!  Oh,  I  must!  I  must! 
I  always  did  tell  you  things,  Randolph,  and  you 
always  were  so  sympathetic.  Have  you  read  many 
English  novels  that  aim  to  initiate  the  outside  world 
into  the  life  of  our  class  —  the  truth  without  any 
frills,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing?  After  I  'd  been 
here  two  years  I  made  a  terrible  mistake:  out  of 
curiosity  —  to  see  the  influence  of  England  on  the 
imagination  circumscribed  by  conscience  —  I  read, 
one  after  the  other,  about  twelve  novels  of  that  sort 
—  the  sort  that  might  be  called  the  current  history 
of  social  England.  Then  I  realised  what  I  had  got 
into — 'that  unchanging,  inevitable,  mathematically 
precise  mise  en  scene,  that  wheel  that  goes  round  and 
round  with  never  a  change  of  spoke  nor  of  speed. 
You  know  —  begin  with  the  twelfth  of  August :  house 
parties  for  grouse  shooting.  Men  —  same  men  — 
out  all  day.  Women  —  same  women  —  at  home. 
Sporting  talk  at  luncheon.  Sporting  talk  varied 
with  politics  at  dinner.  Little  gambling,  little  flirt 
ing,  a  rowdy  game  or  two  in  the  evening.  Next 
month  same  thing  in  other  houses  for  partridge  and 
pheasant  shooting.  Next  two  months  hunting  and 
hunting  talk  for  a  change;  otherwise  the  same,  only 
a  little  more  hard  work  for  the  women.  Races  and 
race  talk  thrown  in  all  along  the  line.  Then  the 
Riviera  for  some,  and  for  me  two  months  of  life  in 
grime  and  fog  and  mud.  Then  the  roasting  crush 
of  the  London  season,  in  which  everybody  works  like 
a  horse,  and  the  women  are  reduced  to  a  mere  com- 

259 


American  Wives 

bination  of  bones  and  paint.  Then  more  races,  a 
few  days'  breathing  space,  and  again  the  Twelfth 
of  August.  I  wish  I  hadn't  read  those  books;  I 
wouldn't  have  realised  it  so  soon.  But  really,  I  've 
hardly  admitted  it  before  to-night.  My  own  pro 
gramme  is  slightly  varied.  I  shoot,  and  I  don't  go 
to  the  Riviera,  and  I  've  had  no  chance  to  get  tired 
of  London  Society.  But  it  surrounds  me  —  that 
automatically  shifting  mise  en  schie.  I  know  it  is 
there,  I  am  a  part  of  most  of  it  —  a  fly  on  its  paint. 
I  may  get  the  whole  thing  any  day.  That  is  one 
reason  I  don't  really  rebel  against  being  out  of  it  in 
London.  Politics  are  the  best  there  is  in  the  whole 
thing,  because  there  is  some  variety,  and  there  is 
always  the  promise  of  some  tremendous  excitement 
—  only  there  has  n't  been  any  yet." 

She  sprang  to  her  feet,  overturning  her  chair. 

"  Damn  it !  Damn  it !  Damn  it !  "  she  cried,  her 
eyes  blazing,  her  voice  pitched  high  with  delight. 
"  Do  you  remember  how  you  and  Coralie  and  Tom 
and  I  used  to  lock  ourselves  up  in  the  schoolroom, 
and  swear  as  loud  and  as  fast  as  we  could  when  Tiny 
had  been  primmer  than  usual,  or  Aunty  had  been 
holding  forth  on  the  South  before  the  War?  Well, 
that 's  the  way  I  feel  to-day,  and  I  've  been  feeling 
that  way  for  a  long  time,  only  I  did  n't  know  it." 

She  stopped  for  want  of  breath.  Randolph  had 
risen  too,  but  his  back  was  against  the  light.  If  his 
voice  was  not  as  steady  as  it  had  been  she  was  too 
excited  to  notice  it. 

"  You  certainly  ought  to  return  to  California,"  he 
said.  "We  are  all  half  savage, —  the  strongest  of  us 

260 


and  English  Husbands 

Californians.  The  great  civilisations  fascinate  us,  but 
they  don't  satisfy,  and  in  time  they  pall." 

"  I  'd  like  to  put  dynamite  under  the  whole  business, 
and  then  take  Cecil  and  go  and  shoot  bears  with  him 
in  the  Santa  Lucia  Mountains  and  sleep  under  the 
redwoods  without  so  much  as  a  tent.  I  believe  I  'd 
be  willing  to  eat  acorns."  She  sat  down  and  glanced 
up  at  him  with  all  her  old  coquetry. 

"  You  don't  think  I  Ve  made  an  idiot  of  myself,  do 
you  ?  "  she  asked  anxiously. 

"  You  could  never  be  other  than  the  most  charming 
woman  in  the  world." 

"Will  you  pay  me  three  compliments  a  day, 
Randolph?" 

"  I  shall  probably  pay  you  twenty." 

"  I  hope  to  Heaven  you  will !  I  need  them  —  I  do 
really  need  them.  Now  go  and  wait  for  me  in  the 
library :  I  must  go  up  and  put  some  powder  on ;  I 
feel  that  I  have  the  colour  of  a  dairy-maid.  It 's  so 
nice  to  order  you  about  —  and  I  could  n't  speak  out 
to  a  soul  on  earth  as  I  have  to  you !  I  should  have 
burst  if  you  had  n't  come  soon.  If  you  get  lost  in 
those  everlasting  corridors  ring  a  bell." 

The  promptness  with  which  Randolph  obeyed  her 
command,  with  the  little  laugh  that  had  always  saved 
his  dignity,  was  the  first  of  his  signals  that  the  old 
Randolph  still  flourished  within  that  mellowed  and 
polished  exterior. 

Lee  ran  up  to  her  room.  The  door  of  the  dressing- 
room  was  open ;  Cecil  was  ready  for  dinner,  and 
alone.  Her  conscience  hurt  her,  and  she  was  still 
excited.  With  all  her  old  impulsiveness  she  ran  in, 

261 


American  Wives 

flung  her  arms  round  her  husband's  neck  and  kissed 
him. 

The  "  Imp  of  the  Perverse  "  is  always  hovering  near 
to  man  awaiting  the  more  subtle  climaxes  of  his  life. 
Cecil  adored  his  wife,  but  he  liked  to  do  the  love- 
making;  and  Lee,  long  since,  had  accepted  the 
submissive  and  responsive  role  her  beloved  autocrat 
demanded.  And  he  was  a  man  of  moods,  which  were 
deep  and  showed  little  on  the  surface.  To-night  he 
was  keen  for  the  sport  of  the  morrow,  for  a  renewal  of 
the  brief  and  congenial  conversation  he  had  had  with 
his  men  guests  before  dinner ;  and  if  his  wife  were  to 
be  too  absorbed  in  her  friends  for  several  days  to  give 
him  a  moment  he  should  not  miss  her.  He  had  had 
a  hard  Session  and  the  reaction  to  sport  and  open  air 
was  violent,  that  was  all. 

He  returned  Lee's  kiss  politely,  and  took  up  a  hair 
brush. 

"  You  seem  nervous,"  he  said.  "  Do  calm  yourself 
before  dinner.  It  is  always  a  relief  to  me  that  you  do 
not  talk  as  loud  as  the  rest  of  the  women." 

And  when  his  wife  rushed  out  and  banged  the  door, 
he  frowned,  then  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  went 
down  to  the  library. 


262 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XIV 

"  TN  other  words,"  said  Randolph,  "  loving  an  Eng- 

J.     lishman  means  hard  work  and  plenty  of  it." 

They  were  on  top  of  the  fell  and  had  been  roaming 
about  all  the  afternoon.  Randolph  had  begun  by 
amusing  her  and  putting  her  into  the  best  of  tempers, 
then  he  had  led  her  on  to  speak  of  her  long  and 
determined  struggle  to  be  many  things  foreign  to  her 
disposition  and  habit,  evincing  so  deep  and  genuine 
an  interest  that  Lee's  ego,  so  long  the  down-trodden 
subject  of  her  imperious  will,  had  leaped  hilariously 
to  its  own  and  confessed  itself  steadily  for  two  hours. 

"  I  'm  not  disloyal  for  a  moment,  and  you  're  really 
my  brother ;  and  I  could  not  speak  to  any  one  else 
living  like  this :  the  others  I  know  as  well  would  not 
understand.  I  don't  see  why  I  complain.  I  Ve  got 
almost  everything  I  ever  imagined  myself  wanting." 

"  You  Ve  surrendered  your  individuality.  It  is  that 
that  gnaws,  and  almost  devitalises  you." 

"  Perhaps.  I  don't  know.  I  could  be  very  quickly 
spoiled  and  get  it  all  back;  but  that  would  mean 
that  I  should  not  be  happy  in  the  same  way,  nor 
Cecil  either." 

"  Are  you  happy?  " 

"  I  thought  I  was  until  lately  —  the  last  —  oh,  it  is 
263 


American  Wives 

hard  to  say  exactly.  But  I  never  was  intended  for 
quite  such  hard  and  fast  routine.  I  feel  positive  that 
in  certain  conditions  I  should  not  mind  being  a  mere 
second  self  to  Cecil.  When  you  love  a  man  nothing 
much  matters  up  to  a  certain  point ;  and  after  that, 
nothing  would  matter  at  all  if  the  nerves  could  be 
made  to  hum  occasionally  to  something  like  uncer 
tainty.  This  cut-and-dried  life  of  England's  leisure 
class,  which  reminds  me  of  a  grandfather's  clock  in 
magnificent  running  order,  may  suit  many  tempera 
ments,  but  not  mine.  As  you  say,  the  old  civilisa 
tions  fascinate  us  who  are  two-thirds  made  up  of  the 
unruly  instincts  of  the  new,  but  they  don't  satisfy, 
and  they  certainly  do  pall.  Three  years  more  of 
this  and  I  shall  be  a  machine  without  a  nerve,  or  —  I 
shall  hate  Cecil  Maundrell.  I  Ve  been  horribly  up 
set  ever  since  you  came  ;  you  actually  brought  an 
earthquake  with  you,  and  I  've  thought  and  thought 
and  thought " 

"Well?"  he  said  gently. 

"If  I've  relapsed  into  the  national  monologue  it's 
your  fault." 

"  Have  you  been  fashioning  your  mental  habits  on 
an  up-to-date  novelette?  People  always  monologue 
in  private  life.  Do  go  on." 

"  You  know  I  never  had  a  morbid  nor  a  hysterical 
moment ;  but  there  must  come  a  time  to  all  strong 
natures  when  all  they  have  inherited  and  all  they 
have  been  in  their  plastic  years  finds  itself  in  violent 
conflict  with  an  alien  present.  The  problem  would  be 
solved  if  we  could  get  away,  if  Cecil's  genius  could 

make  a  leap  into  other  lines.     If  I  could  only  have 

264 


and  English  Husbands 

had  a  finger  in  the  moulding  of  our  two  destinies 
Cecil  would  have  been  a  great  pioneer,  an  '  Empire- 
maker,'  like  Cecil  Rhodes.  There  would  have  been 
no  stagnation  then ;  I  should  have  felt  all  the  stimu 
lation  of  trampling  down  obstacles  and  defying  the 
prejudices  of  a  million  little  minds  in  opening  up  a 
new  and  savage  country  by  the  sheer  insolent  force 
of  one  great  man's  personality.  And  then  the  excite 
ment  of  not  knowing  what  would  happen  next,  where 
we  or  the  whole  country  would  be  this  time  next 
year !  And  in  a  new  country,  where  civilisation  is 
still  in  the  making,  man  is  greater  than  the  State,  and 
he  is  much  more  alive  and  individual,  much  more 
primitive  and  at  the  same  time  many-sided  than  when 
he  is  the  slow  and  logical  result  of  a  rounded  and 
fagged  civilisation  which  has  caught  him  fast.  But 
there  is  no  hope.  .  .  .  Even  if  Cecil  discovered  the 
instinct  of  the  pioneer  in  him  he  would  not  listen  to 
it,  for  he  is  very  proud  and  very  ambitious.  When 
a  man  towers  in  an  isolated  field  like  Mr.  Rhodes, 
every  man  who  plants  his  heels  in  the  same  field  in 
the  same  epoch  is  a  moon  to  Jupiter.  And  no  two 
men  in  a  century  will  ever  have  all  the  gifts  of  the 
Empire-maker  united  in  one  brain.  Cecil  is  highly 
gifted,  and  he  has  enormous  energy,  but  his  gifts  are 
on  the  old  conservative  lines." 

Randolph,  who  had  been  absently  tearing  up  the 
heather  by  the  roots,  his  eyes  apparently  absorbed 
in  his  task,  extended  himself  at  her  feet. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?  "  he  asked. 

"What  can  I  do?  It  has  been  an  unspeakable 
relief  to  talk  to  you  —  have  I  bored  you  ?  " 

265 


American  Wives 

"  I  '11  not  answer  such  a  foolish  question.  Do  you 
still  love  your  husband?  " 

"  Oh,  I  'm  sure  I  do,  down  deep ;  but  my  brain  is 
in  a  chaotic  state ;  the  whole  of  me  is  an  ugly  rebel 
lious  temper.  We've  had  our  first  real  misunder 
standing  these  last  two  days,  and  Cecil  is  so  absorbed 
in  grouse  he  does  n't  even  know  it." 

Randolph  laughed  so  heartily  that  Lee  was  forced 
to  smile.  "  If  that  were  all,"  she  said  with  a  sigh. 

"  I  can  think  of  no  better  temporary  remedy  than 
that  you  should  come  back  to  California  with  us  for 
a  year.  You  might  find  that  England  had  weaned 
you  after  all,  and  California  was  an  idealised  memory. 
And  as  for  your  husband  —  there  is  nothing  like  an 
occasional  vacation.  Mother  is  already  homesick: 
we  '11  return  this  year." 

"  Cecil  would  never  consent  He 's  really  devoted 
to  me." 

"  I  should  hope  so.  But  English  wives  are  not 
slaves,  I  suppose.  If  you  asserted  yourself  he  would 
neither  tie  you  up  nor  divorce  you." 

"  He  really  needs  me  tremendously.  If  I  were 
not  a  little  beast  I  'd  be  contented  with  my  lot.  And 
as  I  've  tried  to  make  him  happy  for  purely  selfish 
reasons  for  three  years,  I  don't  see  that  I  have  the 
right  to  make  him  miserable  because  I  have  wheeled 
about  and  want  something  that  he  can't  give  me." 

"Or  awakened?" 

"  It 's  not  only  that.  I  shut  my  eyes  deliberately 
to  a  great  deal  at  the  first —  that  I  could  not  be  every 
thing  to  him,  that  there  were  depths  in  his  nature 
that  were  way  beyond  me." 

266 


and  English  Husbands 

"  My  dear  child,  no  woman  can  be  everything  to 
a  man;  that  would  be  Utopia." 

"  He  could  at  least  be  more  to  me." 

"Ah,  that  is  another  matter,"  said  Randolph 
softly. 

They  returned  to  the  subject  many  times.  Ran 
dolph  spent  but  a  part  of  the  day  on  the  moors.  He 
was  an  admirable  shot,  and  took  care  to  distinguish 
himself,  but  was  at  no  pains  to  conceal  his  lack  of 
enthusiasm.  On  the  fourth  day  of  his  visit,  as  Lee 
was  showing  him  over  the  Abbey,  she  said  abruptly: 

"  Did  you  ever  get  a  letter  I  wrote  to  you  the  day 
after  I  arrived  here  ?  " 

"  The  day  after " 

"It  was  all  about  the  Abbey.  I  told  you  that 
Emmy  might  leave  nothing,  and  that  everybody  had 
expected  Cecil  to  marry  a  fortune,  or  else  lose  his 
inheritance.  They  wanted  him  to  marry  that  Miss 
Fix,  and  they  all  seemed  to  think  I  was  a  criminal 
for  not  being  worth  a  million.  I  felt  a  fool,  I  can 
assure  you,  for  not  investing  in  the  Peruvian  mine." 

"  And  you  wrote  to  your  old  slave  to  make  a  mil 
lion  for  you.  I  did  not  get  the  letter,  but  I  can  see 
every  word  of  it." 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  have  the  same  assurance 
to-day,  but  I  'd  be  very  thankful  if  you  'd  advise 
me." 

"  Oh,  you  have  changed  !     It 's  really  tragic  !  " 

They  were  in  the  crypt  of  the  Abbey,  an  immense 
rambling  and  shadowy  vault.  Lee  put  her  hands  to 
her  face  suddenly  and  began  to  cry.  Randolph  took 
her  in  his  arms  and  patted  her  gently. 

267 


American  Wives 

"  Don't  worry,"  he  said.  "  I  'm  not  going  to  make 
love  to  you.  I  'm  only  your  big  brother.  But  you 
must  come  back  with  me  to  California." 

"  Oh,  I  want  to  go  —  the  more  I  think  of  it,  the 
more  I  want  to  go.  The  first  time  I  have  a  chance 
I  '11  speak  to  Cecil  about  it;  but  he  comes  home  just 
in  time  to  dress  and  is  so  tired  he 's  asleep  before  he  's 
fairly  in  bed  and  in  the  morning  he's  gone  before 
I'm  awake." 

"  You  were  certainly  never  intended  for  a  sports 
man,"  said  Randolph  dryly.  "  I  have  written  to 
mother  to  urge  you  to  return  with  us.  And  as  for  the 
other  matter,  we  '11  see  to  it  when  we  get  there " 

"  I  am  serious  about  that.  I  love  the  Abbey.  I 
should  think  I  had  been  born  to  some  purpose  if  I 
could  save  it.  And  I  look  upon  it  as  almost  my 
mission ;  for  should  Cecil  lose  it,  it  would  be  through 
me.  I  'd  never  forgive  myself." 

"  It  strikes  me  that  Cecil  would  have  no  one  to 
blame  but  himself.  He  was  no  raw  stripling  when  he 
married  you,  but  a  man  with  a  remarkably  mature 
mind " 

"  But  he  was  frightfully  in  love." 

"  And  never  wiser.  However,  if  you  wish  to  make 
the  Abbey  your  mission  in  life  you  can  command  my 
services,  as  always.  I  will  take  the  matter  in  hand 
as  soon  as  I  get  back." 

"  Will  you?" 

"  Yes,  but  you  must  come  too.  It  takes  a  month 
to  get  a  letter  answered  from  here,  and  business 
secrets  cannot  be  cabled." 

"  I  will  go  then.  A  double  object  gives  me  double 
268 


and  English  Husbands 

courage.  But  I've  bored  you  long  enough.  You 
listen  to  my  woes  by  the  yard,  and  you  never  talk 
about  yourself  except  to  amuse  me " 

"  I  came  to  England  for  no  other  purpose  but  to 
see  you  and  to  hear  you  talk." 

"  Well,  I  can  tell  you  then,  that  you  were  inspired 
by  the  real  missionary  spirit,  for  I  needed  you 
badly." 


269 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XV 

AFTER  dinner  that  night,  Lee  and  Lady  Mary 
Gifford,  instead  of  following  the  other  women, 
strolled  along  the  corridors  for  a  quiet  chat.  They 
were  not  intimate,  for  they  had  too  little  in  common, 
but  they  admired  each  other  and  Lee  had  seen  some 
thing  more  of  Lady  Mary  than  of  any  of  the  English 
women  whom  she  received  in  her  little  drawing-room 
on  Tuesdays  or  maintained  a  community  of  interests 
with  during  that  division  of  the  year  allotted  to  house 
parties. 

"  I  like  your  cousin,  or  whatever  he  is,"  announced 
Lady  Mary,  clasping  her  hands  behind  her.  "  He 
does  n't  talk  through  his  nose  and  he  's  quite  at  his 
ease.  As  a  rule  I  detest  American  men  as  much  as  I 
like  the  women.  Of  course  he 's  rich  —  you  can 
always  tell." 

"  He  's  very  rich." 

"  Now  don't  jump  —  I'd  like  you  to  marry  me  to 
him." 

Lee  did  jump.     "  Really  ?  "  she  said  dryly. 

"  I  'd  rather  never  marry :  if  I  had  a  talent  I  'd  go 
and  set  up  a  studio  in  Kensington,  or  take  chambers 
and  write  a  popular  novel.  Of  course  I  could  make 
hats  or  open  a  florist's  shop,  but  neither  is  to  my 
taste;  and  I  really  can't  hang  on  any  longer  — 

270 


and  English  Husbands 

twenty-seven  and  my  ninth  season  —  it's  positively 
sickening.  I  have  had  one  or  two  good  offers  —  in 
the  long  ago  —  but  I  hated  the  thought  of  marrying 
then  more  than  I  do  now  —  when  a  thing  has  to  be 
it  never  seems  quite  so  bad.  Of  course  I  could  get 
any  numbers  of  parvenus,  and  I  'd  almost  made  up 
my  mind  to  Mr.  Fix,  but  I  should  feel  quite  recon 
ciled  to  Mr.  Montgomery." 

"  That  is  very  amiable  of  you,  but  I  don't  see 
what  you  are  offering  to  Mr.  Montgomery;  and  as 
he  is  almost  my  oldest  friend  I  have  his  happiness 
to  consider.  He  would  not  care  a  rap  for  your 
title  -  " 

"Wouldn't  he?  How  very  odd.  But  I'd  make 
him  quite  happy.  You  know  I  am  fascinating. 
Some  men  have  gone  quite  off  their  heads  about 
me." 

"  If  you  send  Randolph  off  his  head  he  '11  un 
doubtedly  propose  to  you.  You  will  have  plenty 
of  opportunity." 

"  I  see  you  don't  like  the  idea  -  " 

"  You  are  quite  mistaken.  I  have  had  no  time  to 
think  it  over.  Of  course  if  I  thought  you  would  be 
happy  together  -  " 

"  Oh,  I  'm  sure  we  'd  arrange  everything  quite 
amicably.  I  have  immense  tact,  you  know,  and 
American  men  are  said  to  make  such  indulgent 
husbands;  and  he's  really  distinguished-looking. 
And  of  course  he  'd  be  quite  sure  of  me.  I  'd  scorn 
to  do  the  things  most  women  do.  That  's  one 
reason  why  I  like  you  so  much  —  you  haven't  a 


271 


American  Wives 

Lee  laughed.  "  I  can't  see  the  superior  virtue  of 
selling  oneself." 

"  My  dear,  we  must  each  do  what  is  best  for 
ourselves,  whether  it  is  money  we  want  or  love. 
Standards  have  never  insured  happiness  yet.  We 
must  do  our  own  thinking  and  try  for  what  we  most 
want.  Here  is  a  secret  for  you  to  keep  —  until  a 
year  ago  I  expected  my  godmother's  fortune.  She 
had  all  but  promised  it  to  me  and  that  is  the  real 
reason  I  never  married.  She  died  without  a  will. 
I  can't  be  a  stranded  old  maid  living  off  my  alter 
nate  relations.  And  perhaps  you  can  imagine  what 
it  would  mean  to  me  to  marry  a  man  like  Mr. 
Fix." 

Lady  Mary  had  drawn  in  her  wide  voice,  and  it 
vibrated  slightly.  It  was  the  first  time  Lee  had 
known  her  to  display  anything  like  feeling,  and  she 
softened  at  once. 

"  I  '11  do  what  I  can,"  she  said.  "  Randolph  is  a 
gentleman,  and  very  clever.  Try  to  fall  in  love  with 
him,  and  make  him  fall  in  love  with  you." 

"  You  are  good.  And  Emmy  can  keep  her  Fix 
and  welcome;  by  the  way,  I  suppose  you  have 
noticed,  there 's  not  so  smart  a  crowd  here  this  year 
as  usual  —  except  the  Beaumanoirs,  and  Larry  Mon- 
mouth  and  the  other  single  men." 

"  I  had  not  —  there  is  not,  come  to  think  of  it." 

"  The  Launcesters  and  Regents  can  be  got  by  any 
body  that  will  feed  them " 

"What  are  you  driving  at?" 

"  I  mean  that  Emmy  has  been  a  little  too  careless 
this  last  year.  People  simply  won't  swallow  Fix  — 

272 


and  English  Husbands 

the  men  hate  him  so.  There  was  a  little  doubt 
before,  but  of  course  there's  none  now.  She  let 
him  go  to  the  Riviera  with  her." 

"  Are  you  trying  to  make  me  believe  that  Mr.  Fix 
is  Emmy's  lover?" 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  you  are  an  infant  in 
arms?  " 

"  Of  course  I  'm  well  enough  used  to  women  and 
their  lovers,  by  this  time;  but  somehow  one  never 
thinks  that  sort  of  thing  can  happen  in  one's  own 
family.  It  is  plain  enough,  I  suppose.  She  might 
at  least  have  chosen  a  gentleman." 

"  She  might  indeed ;  that 's  her  crime.  Pick  up 
with  the  wrong  man,  and  Society  is  on  its  hind  legs 
in  no  time.  I've  seen  it  coming  for  an  age.  She 
certainly  must  know  that  she 's  got  off  the  track  as 
well  as  any  one  can  tell  her,  and  considering  the 
way  she  's  worked  for  one  thing  for  five-and-twenty 
years,  it's  rather  surprising;  but  the  trouble  is,  she's 
in  love  with  him,  I  fancy." 

"  I  don't  think  there 's  any  doubt  about  it ;  but 
if  her  original  commonness  demanded  a  mate  she 
certainly  could  have  found  a  bounder  with  a  little 
more  gilding.  There  are  one  or  two  with  the  titles 
she  adores." 

Lee  spoke  with  heat  and  bitterness.  She  had  the 
indifference  of  familiarity  to  many  things  that  had 
horrified  her  youthful  ideals,  but  a  lover  under  the 
family  roof  filled  her  with  protest. 

"  Emmy 's  a  curious  contradiction "  began 

Lady  Mary. 

"What's  to  be  done?  Of  course  it  can't  go  on. 
18  273 


American  Wives 

Lord  Barnstaple  or  Cecil  could  put  a  stop  to  it,  but 
I  can't  tattle  on  any  woman " 

"My  dear,  I  don't  advise  you  to  put  a  stop  to  it 
unless  you  want  to  see  the  Abbey  put  up  at  public 
auction." 

"  Mary  Gifford  !  " 

"  Now  don't  shriek  out ;  but  I  have  more  than  one 
reason  to  think  that  I  'm  right." 

"And  perhaps  we're  eating  his  bread?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  it 's  as  bad  as  that,  but  I  am 
positive  that  she  borrowed  from  him  first  and  mort 
gaged  her  properties  heavily  —  he  was  over  in 
America  last  year.  Now,  he  is  certainly  in  love  with 
her.  He  would  marry  me,  of  course,  because  I 
could  give  him  what  Emmy  cannot  —  but  —  how 
ever  !  Better  not  say  anything,  my  child.  Lord 
Barnstaple  has  always  been  too  indifferent  to  give 
two  thoughts  to  his  wife's  private  affections;  but  if 
he  were  made  to  know  anything,  of  course  he  'd 
have  to  kick  the  man  out.  And  he  and  Cecil  would 
have  to  break  the  entail,  and  the  Abbey  would  go 
to  the  highest  bidder  —  who  would  probably  be  one 
of  the  Fixes.  Victoria  the  Silent  has  never  stopped 
wanting  it  from  the  day  she  first  saw  it ;  nor  Cecil 
Maundrell  either,  for  that  matter." 

"  Well,  she  won't  get  it.  What  a  ghastly  business ! 
I  wish  you  had  n't  told  me." 

"  I  wish  I  had  n't,  but  it  never  occurred  to  me  that 
you  could  n't  see  the  length  of  your  nose." 

"  Something  has  to  be  done;  it 's  a  horrible  posi 
tion  for  Lord  Barnstaple  and  Cecil." 

"What  they  don't  know  won't  hurt  them  —  it  is 
274 


and  English  Husbands 

though.  What's  the  use  of  platitudinising?  Every 
body  else  knows  —  or  guesses,  and  it  is  rough  on 
them.  But  let  things  drift  along  for  a  little.  Who 
knows  what  may  happen  ?  " 

"  If  you  don't  mind,  and  if  you  will  make  an  excuse 
for  me,  I  '11  go  up  to  my  room.  I  'm  tired  out,  and 
I  'd  like  to  be  alone." 

"  Do  go,  that 's  a  dear;  and  don't  bother  too  much 
about  other  people.  Almost  everybody's  too  selfish 
to  be  worth  it !  " 

She  returned  to  the  great  drawing-room  of  the 
Abbey,  where  people  were  hovering  about  many  little 
tables,  smiled  brilliantly  on  Randolph,  and  marched 
him  off  to  a  charming  boudoir  where  she  detained 
him  agreeably  for  the  rest  of  the  evening.  Her 
young  blue  eyes  were  very  keen  and  she  took  pains 
at  once  to  assure  him  that  Lee  would  be  visible  no 
more  that  night. 


275 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XVI 

LEE  went  to  her  bedroom,  and,  in  accord  with 
some  curious  feminine  sympathy  of  mental 
and  material  habit,  immediately  took  off  her  gown 
and  put  on  a  wrapper.  Then  she  sat  down,  and,  to 
use  her  own  phrase,  endeavoured  to  take  hold  of 
herself.  It  was  the  first  time  that  she  had  been  alone 
for  several  days,  and  she  had  a  good  deal  of  thinking 
to  do. 

The  most  gifted  of  men  are  successful  in  analysing 
women  up  to  a  certain  point  only;  when  they  find 
themselves  confronted  with  utter  unreasonableness, 
perversity,  and  erratic  curvatures  of  temper,  they 
solve  the  problem  with  a  baby,  and  pass  on.  A 
woman  may  be  in  superb  condition,  she  may  be  lead 
ing  the  most  normal  of  lives,  she  may  not  have  a 
care  worthy  of  mention,  and  yet  she  may  find  herself 
in  a  state  of  nervous  and  rebellious  antagonism  to  the 
whole  scheme  of  creation.  The  women  who  work 
and  exhaust  their  brain  vitality  with  a  certain  regu 
larity  are  less  prone  to  such  attacks,  but  the  woman 
of  leisure  is  liable  to  them  at  any  moment.  For  the 
feminine  imagination  is  a  restless  and  virile  quantity, 
and  a  clever  woman  is  often  its  victim  to  an  extent 
which  no  man  can  appreciate.  That  men  are,  on  the 
whole,  so  patient  with  what  must  often  confound  and 

276 


and  English  Husbands 

incense  them,  constitutes  their  chief  claim  to  the 
forgiveness  of  many  sins. 

If  Lee  was  by  nature  neither  morbid  nor  hysterical, 
she  felt  that  she  was  doing  her  best  to  overcome  the 
deficiency.  Randolph's  appearance  had  shattered  the 
routine  of  her  married  life,  and  with  it  her  self-control. 
She  was  aghast,  and  she  was  furious  with  herself. 
Cecil  had  ceased  to  be  an  ideal  for  whom  no  sacrifice 
was  too  great :  he  merely  represented  a  sudden  and 
violent  change  in  the  order  of  her  inner  life ;  and  if 
his  personal  fascination  and  his  incalculable  advantage 
of  a  previous  ten  years'  sojourn  in  her  imagination 
had  accomplished  this  revolution  and  kept  him 
master  of  the  field  for  three  additional  years,  the 
reaction  to  a  strong  and  long-fostered  individuality 
was  but  the  more  violent.  What  she  wanted  she  was 
scarcely  able  to  define,  but  she  felt  sure  that  she 
wanted  several  dozen  things  that  she  would  never 
have  as  the  wife  of  Cecil  Maundrell. 

She  searched  diligently  for  his  faults,  and  was 
obliged  to  confess  that  they  were  few  and  would  play 
a  small  part  in  the  balancing  of  accounts.  He  was, 
if  exacting,  the  kindest  of  husbands ;  if  not  amusing,  he 
was  always  interesting;  although  moody,  he  showed 
no  sign  of  ceasing  to  be  a  lover ;  if  devoted  to  sport, 
she  had  never,  in  her  most  feminine  moments,  been 
able  to  persuade  herself  that  he  was  not  several  times 
more  devoted  to  her ;  and  she  had  the  most  profound 
admiration  for  him  both  as  a  man  and  as  an  intellect. 
His  only  imperfection  was  that  he  was  a  strong  and 
dominating  personality  with  whom  a  woman  must 
live  as  a  second  self  or  not  at  all ;  and  Lee  felt  her- 

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American  Wives 

self  a  fool.  But,  unfortunately,  the  supreme  trage 
dies  in  the  lives  of  two  people  who  love  and  are 
happy  have  often  their  genesis  in  no  facts  that  can 
ibe  analysed  and  disposed  of. 

Of  one  desire,  Lee  was  acutely  conscious ;  to  get 
away  from  her  husband  for  a  time  and  return  to  Cali 
fornia —  to  that  stupendous  country  of  many  parts 
where  she  had  been  Herself,  where  she  had  stood 
alone,  where  she  had  munched  consecutively  for 
twenty-one  years  those  sweets  of  Individuality  so 
dear  to  the  American  soul.  And,  this  desire  sud 
denly  defined  itself,  she  wanted  to  be  volatile,  she 
wanted  to  be  free  from  every  responsibility;  she 
wanted,  in  short,  to  get  out  of  the  r61e  of  a  serious 
factor  in  the  life  of  a  serious  man. 

And  Cecil?  She  made  no  excuses  for  herself,  at 
tempted  no  self-delusion :  she  looked  down  steadily, 
although  with  eyes  of  horror  and  disgust,  at  those 
depths  of  selfishness  peculiar  to  the  soul  of  woman  — 
more  so  to  the  souls  of  women  of  the  younger  civili 
sations.  He  was  practically  blameless,  and  she  was 
meditating  a  punishment  meet  for  a  brute  of  a  hus 
band.  He  loved  her  and  needed  her,  and  she  was 
condemning  him  to  the  acutest  suffering  she  could 
devise,  short  of  her  own  death.  Nevertheless,  if  the 
situation  were  to  be  saved  at  all,  she  must  get  away 
from  him,  she  must  be  Herself  for  a  time  —  for  a 
year.  After  that?  Doubtless  she  would  love  him 
the  better.  Certainly  she  would  never  love  any 
other  man.  Her  prediction  that  hatred  of  her  hus 
band  might  be  the  result  of  three  more  uninterrupted 
years  of  him  and  of  England  had  been  a  mere  verbal 

278 


and  English  Husbands 

expression  of  nervous  tension;  even  in  the  present 
adventurous  and  overworked  state  of  her  imagination 
she  knew  that  she  loved  him,  and  would  so  long  as 
consciousness  survived  in  her.  If  she  could  have 
had  that  most  plausible  of  all  excuses,  the  death  of 
affection  and  passion,  she  would  have  felt  quite  ready 
to  justify  herself.  As  it  was,  there  were  no  limits  to 
her  self-abasement.  And,  logically,  there  were  no 
limits  to  her  unreasoning  anger  with  her  husband. 

She  wanted  her  Individuality  back;  that  was  the 
long  and  the  short  of  it. 

Regarding  Randolph,  she  felt  a  certain  disquiet. 
He  had  not  betrayed  himself  by  so  much  as  a  glance, 
but  her  woman's  instinct  told  her  that  he  still  loved 
her.  There  was  nothing  to  apprehend,  however, 
beyond  a  possible  scene  at  a  remote  period.  If  he 
was  playing  a  big  game  it  was  for  heavy  stakes,  and 
he  would  not  show  his  cards  for  many  a  day.  It  was 
more  than  possible  that  he  hoped  everything  from  a 
return  to  the  scene  of  her  girlish  freedom  and  tri 
umphs,  and  from  her  withdrawal  from  her  husband's 
influence ;  but  he  would  watch  and  wait  for  the  cru 
cial  moment  before  suggesting  the  facile  American 
specific  for  matrimonial  jars.  He  was  very  clever, 
and  she  did  not  doubt  that  if  he  were  playing  for  the 
supreme  desire  of  his  life  he  would  be  sufficiently 
unscrupulous.  But  he  was  a  gentleman  and  he 
would  not  demand  her  hand  as  the  price  of  the 
Abbey's  rescue.  If  she  had  never  met  Cecil  Maun- 
drell  she  believed  that  she  could  have  loved  him,  for 
he  understood  her.  He  was,  now  that  he  had  found 
himself,  a  charming  and  companionable  man,  with 

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American  Wives 

no  raw  edges  to  irritate  the  most  sensitive  romanti 
cism;  and  her  Individuality  would  have  flourished 
like  a  green  bay-tree.  And  he  had  plenty  of  brains 
and  was  just  serious  enough.  She  could  never  have 
given  him  the  half  of  what  she  had  given  Cecil 
Maundrell,  but  there  would  have  been  no  violent  and 
humiliating  reactions  from  too  much  high-thinking 
and  attempting  to  realise  a  serious  man's  ideal. 
Now,  neither  he  nor  any  other  man  but  her  husband 
could  satisfy  her  for  a  moment ;  but  as  she  had  no 
desire  to  do  Randolph  any  more  harm  than  she 
had  done  him  already  she  determined  to  take  Mary 
Gifford  to  California  with  her  and  give  that  odd  and 
attractive  young  person  all  the  advantages  of  propin 
quity  and  comparison. 

Emmy's  peccancy  was  but  a  final  reason  for  her 
desire  to  separate  herself  for  a  time  from  her  present 
life.  She  was  charitable,  but  she  was  fastidious. 
Had  Emmy  been  an  outsider  she  might  have  had 
twenty  lovers;  but  the  proximity  disgusted  her. 


a8o 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER   XVII 

OF  course  Cecil  did  the  worst  thing  possible  for 
himself :  he  appeared  just  as  she  had  finished 
elaborating  her  case  and  before  she  had  started  upon 
the  argument  between  her  higher  and  her  pettier 
self  which  she  had  dimly  contemplated.  As  he  ran 
up  the  stair  she  rose  nervously  to  her  feet,  regret 
ting  for  the  first  time  that  she  had  not  a  room  of  her 
own  in  which  she  could  lock  herself.  They  had 
continued  to  put  up  with  the  trifling  inconveniences 
of  the  tower  because  its  isolation  and  historic  asso 
ciations  made  it  a  tenacious  symbol  in  their  own 
romance. 

She  sat  down  as  he  entered. 

"I  just  missed  you,"  he  said  anxiously,  "and 
some  one  told  me  that  you  had  not  been  in  the 
drawing-room  since  dinner.  Are  you  ill?" 

"  No ;  and  I  am  glad  you  have  come  up.  I  want 
to  ask  you  something." 

He  sat  down  beside  her  and  took  her  hand. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Something  has  gone 
wrong  ? " 

" I  want  to  go  back  to  California  for  a  year." 

"But,  my  dear,  I  can't  get  away.  I  should  be 
mad  —  " 

"But  you  can  let  me  go.  Mrs.  Montgomery 
wants  to  take  me  back  with  her." 

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American  Wives 

If  he  had  given  her  time  she  would  doubtless  have 
approached  the  subject  with  tact  and  many  deli 
cate  subterfuges;  but  her  mind  was  wearied  and 
possessed. 

He  stared  at  her  incredulously. 

"I  really  mean  it.  The  only  reasons  I  can  put 
into  shape  are  that  I  am  desperately  tired  of  this 
everlasting  round  of  English  life,  and  homesick  for 
California." 

"  Are  you  tired  of  me  ? " 

"No;  but  I  believe  that  a  short  separation  would 
be  better  for  us  both.  I  can't  make  you  understand, 
for  you  have  never  cared  to  understand  me.  I 
adapted  myself,  and  you  took  me  for  granted  —  " 

"  Have  you  been  playing  a  part  ?  " 

"  Heaven  knows  I  have  been  serious  enough.  It 
is  that  as  much  as  anything  else  —  I  want  to  cease 
being  serious  for  a  while." 

Cecil  continued  to  stare  at  her.  His  tan  had 
worn  off,  and  he  paled  slightly.  When  a  man  after 
several  years  of  married  life  is  suddenly  informed 
that  he  does  not  understand  his  wife  the  shock  is 
trying  to  his  mental  faculties  and  to  his  patience. 

"  I  do  not  know  you  to-night,"  he  said  coldly.  "  I 
have  seen  you  in  a  number  of  moods,  and  occasionally 
in  a  temper,  but  I  have  never  before  seen  you  when 
you  were  not  —  sweet. " 

"I  don't  feel   sweet.     I  wish   I  did.     I  hate  to 


Cecil  seized  the  suggestion.  "  You  have  certainly 
hurt  me;  and  nobody  could  know  better  than  you 
how  much.  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ? " 

282 


and  English  Husbands 

"  I  want  a  change,  that  is  all. " 

"  I  'm  afraid  I  've  really  done  something  quite 
abominable,  although  I  don't  remember  —  and  it 
isn't  like  you  not  to  speak  out." 

"I  haven't  a  fault  in  the  world  to  find  with  you. 
I  wish  I  had!" 

"I  don't  understand  you,"  he  said  helplessly. 
"  And  as  I  am  so  dense,  perhaps  you  will  be  good 
enough  to  explain.  I  really  think  I  have  the  right 
to  demand  it."  He  would  have  liked  to  shake  her, 
for  he  had  not  yet  been  made  to  realise  that  she  was 
in  anything  but  a  surprisingly  nasty  temper. 

Lee  was  quite  sure  that  he  had  the  right  to 
demand  a  full  explanation,  and  she  cast  about  for 
the  phrases  which  would  point  it  best.  But  her 
reasons  put  their  tails  between  their  legs  and 
scampered  to  the  back  of  her  brain,  where  they 
looked  petty  enough.  So  she  began  to  cry  instead. 

Cecil  took  her  in  his  arms  instantly,  excoriating 
himself  for  his  desire  to  shake  her.  "You  are  ill; 
I  know  you  are  ill,"  he  whispered,  "and  you  are  so 
unused  to  it  that  it  has  quite  demoralised  you." 
Then,  his  knowledge  of  women  being  primitive 
indeed,  he  descended  to  bribery.  "I  am  going  to 
ask  father  to  give  you  my  mother's  jewels;  I  never 
knew  he  had  them  —  that  there  were  any  —  till  the 
other  day.  There  are  some  wonderful  pieces." 

Lee  pricked  up  her  ears,  then  despised  herself 
and  sobbed  the  harder.  Suddenly,  she  shrank 
visibly  from  him,  slipped  from  his  embrace  and 
walked  over  to  the  fireplace,  turning  her  back  to 
her  husband.  It  had  flashed  into  her  mind  that 

283 


American  Wives 

Randolph's  arms  had  been  round  her  that  morning. 
She  had  thought  no  more  of  it  at  the  time  than  if 
they  had  been  Mrs.  Montgomery's  or  Coralie's;  but 
of  a  sudden  her  quiescence  seemed  an  act  of  infi 
delity,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  because  Cecil 
would  be  furious  if  he  knew  it.  She  decided  that 
she  certainly  must  be  growing  morbid,  and  she 
resigned  herself  to  being  just  as  unpleasant  as  her 
resources  permitted. 

Cecil  went  over  to  her  and  wheeled  her  about 
sharply.  There  was  no  question  about  his  pallor 
now;  his  very  lips  were  white.  "That  was  the  first 
time  you  ever  shrank  from  me,"  he  said.  "What 
does  it  mean? " 

"I  mean  that  I  will  go  to  California." 

"That's  not  the  point. " 

"I  simply  can't  explain,  but  I'll  try  to  in  my 
letters.  I  promise  that  if  you  don't  understand  me 
now  you  shall  before  I  get  back." 

"I  have  no  time  to  read  a  woman's  novels  about 
herself.  I  once  read  several  volumes  of  women's 
'  letters. '  There  never  yet  was  a  woman  who  could 
write  about  herself  unself-consciously ;  she  is  always 
addressing  an  imaginary  audience.  Say  what  you  've 
got  to  say  now,  and  have  done  with  it.  If  I  've 
failed  in  anything  I  love  you  well  enough  to  do  all 
I  can  —  you  know  that." 

"  You  told  me  when  you  proposed  to  me  that  you 
would  hate  understanding  a  woman's  complexities, 
that  she  had  no  right  to  have  any,  that  a  woman 
must  become  a  mere  adjunct  of  her  husband." 

"I  don't  remember  ever  having  said  anything  of 
284 


and  English  Husbands 

the  sort.  But  if  I  did  —  I  very  dimly  realised  at 
that  time  all  that  you  would  become  to  me.  Now  I 
would  do  anything  in  my  power  to  keep  you  as  you 
have  been  these  three  years. " 

Lee  almost  relented;  but  her  conscience  was  in 
a  state  of  abnormal  activity.  It  had  reminded  her 
that  she  had  talked  her  husband  over  with  another 
man,  and  that  the  act  was  both  disloyal  and  in  bad 
taste.  She  would  have  given  all  she  possessed  to 
return  her  confidences  where  they  belonged,  much 
as  she  had  needed  the  relief.  She  hated  Randolph 
Montgomery  and  she  hated  herself.  So  she  stamped 
her  foot  at  Cecil. 

"I  wish  you  would  let  me  alone,"  she  exclaimed. 
"If  I  feel  like  it  later  I  '11  explain,  but  I  won't  say 
another  word  to-night." 

There  was  really  nothing  for  Cecil  to  do  but  to  go 
out  and  bang  the  door,  so  he  went  out  and  banged  it. 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

LEE  slept  more  soundly  that  night  than  she  had 
expected,  and  awoke  the  next  morning  feel 
ing  very  much  ashamed  of  herself.  Her  determina 
tion  to  leave  England  for  a  time  was  unaltered,  but 
she  would  have  given  a  great  deal  to  have  come  to 
an  amicable  understanding  with  Cecil.  She  had 
treated  him  abominably,  and  he  was  the  last  person 
she  desired  to  wound.  When  she  was  in  exactly  the 
right  temper  she  would  make  herself  as  legible  to 
him  as  she  could,  and,  as  he  was  the  quickest  of 
men,  he  would  understand  as  much  as  any  mere  man 
could,  and  would  agree  that  the  separation  —  she 
might  reduce  it  to  six  months  —  was  advisable  for 
them  both.  ~  He  would  do  a  good  deal  of  thinking 
during  her  absence  and  the  result  could  not  fail  to 
be  happy. 

She  went  out  on  the  moor  to  luncheon  and  was 
so  amiable  and  charming  and  so  pointedly  bent  upon 
charming  no  man  but  her  husband  that  Cecil's  brow 
cleared  and  he  sunned  himself  in  her  presence.  But 
he  was  seriously  disturbed,  and  she  saw  it.  She 
had  awakened  him  roughly  out  of  what  was  doubt 
less  beginning  to  look  like  a  dream,  and  he  was  not 
the  man  to  close  his  eyes  again  until  he  had  quite 

286 


and  English  Husbands 

determined  of  what  stuff  his  dreams  were  made. 
But  when  they  were  alone  he  pointedly  avoided  the 
subject. 

The  Gearys  arrived  next  morning,  and  it  seemed 
to  Lee  that  the  whole  Abbey  was  filled  with  Coralie's 
light  laughter.  She  wanted  to  see  everything  at 
once,  and  the  four  Californians  spent  the  entire  day 
moving  restlessly  over  the  house  and  grounds. 

"Just  think,"  cried  Coralie,  flitting  about  the 
ghostly  gloom  of  the  crypt.  "  I  'm  in  an  Abbey  —  an 
old  stone  thing  a  thousand  years  old  —  oh!  well, 
never  mind,  a  few  hundred  years  more  or  less  don't 
matter.  It  's  old,  and  it  's  stone,  and  it  's  carved, 
and  it 's  haunted,  and  grey-hooded  friars  were  once 
just  where  I  am.  I  think  it's  lovely.  Isn't  it, 
Ned?  Isn't  it?" 

But  Mr.  Geary  smiled  with  the  true  Californian's 
mere  toleration  of  all  things  non-Californian. 
Coralie  knew  that  smile,  and  tossed  her  head. 

"Well,  thank  Heaven  I  'm  not  quite  so  provincial 
as  that!"  she  cried  with  sarcasm.  "I'm  going  to 
keep  you  abroad  three  years.  /  never  in  my  life  saw 
any  one  so  improved  as  Randolph." 

Whereupon  Mr.  Geary  coloured  angrily  and  strode 
off  in  a  huff. 

"  Tell  me  some  more, "  demanded  Coralie.  "  Don't 
slam  the  door,  Teddy.  Hasn't  there  ever  really 
been  a  hooded  friar  seen  stalking  through  this  crypt 
at  night  ? " 

"They  do  say  —  You  know  all  the  dead  earls  lie 
here  for  a  week ;  and  on  alternate  nights  the  tenantry 
and  the  servants  sit  up.  Those  people  are  supersti- 

287 


American  Wives 

tious,  and  they  vow  that  they  see  shadowy  forms 
way  over  there;  of  course  lamps  are  hung  on  the 
columns  near  by  —  perhaps  I  can  show  you  a  whole 
chest  full  of  the  silver  lamps  that  have  been  used 
for  centuries.  They  make  the  rest  of  the  crypt 
fairly  black,  and  it  is  easy  enough  to  imagine  any 
thing.  The  interment  always  takes  place  at  mid 
night,  by  torchlight,  even  when  there  is  a  moon; 
and  there  is  popularly  supposed  to  be  an  old  abbot 
telling  his  beads  just  behind  the  procession." 

"  How  simply  gorgeous !  Of  course  I  don't  want 
Lord  Barnstaple  to  die,  but  I  should  love  to  be  in  at 
that  sort  of  thing.  When  Mr.  Geary  died  of  course 
he  was  just  laid  out  in  the  back  parlour  —  drawing- 
room  I  shall  always  call  it  hereafter;  poor  Mrs. 
Geary  has  never  been  out  of  California  since  she 
left  the  immortal  South  —  and  he  really  did  look  so 
uninteresting,  and  his  casket  was  so  hideously  ex 
pensive.  But  an  earl  —  laid  out  in  a  crypt  —  of  an 
ancient  Abbey  —  with  tenantry  kneeling  round  and 
shivering  at  hooded  friars  in  the  background  —  I  'm 
really  alive  for  the  first  time!  Is  there  an  Abbey 
we  could  rent  anywhere?  I'd  only  want  it  for 
about  six  months,  but  I  'd  have  a  simply  heavenly 
time  so  long  as  the  novelty  lasted." 

"  It  would  take  you  six  months  to  get  used  to  the 
size  of  it,"  said  Randolph,  "and  by  the  time  it  had 
begun  to  fit  perhaps  you  would  feel  that  everything 
else  was  commonplace."  He  spoke  to  Coralie,  but 
he  looked  at  Lee. 

She  smiled  and  brought  her  lashes  together. 
"  Sometimes  there  are  things  one  wants  more  than 

288 


and  English  Husbands 

magnificence,"  she  said.     "Well  —  Emmy  must  be 
awake.     I  '11  go  and  speak  to  her  about  Tom." 

For  Tom  was  in  London  and  had  asked  his  sister 
to  make  known  that  he  desired  an  invitation  to  the 
Abbey,  and  had  come  to  England  merely  to  look 
upon  its  future  chatelaine. 

Lee  found  Lady  Barnstaple  in  one  of  her  freshest 
and  fluffiest  wrappers  and  in  one  of  her  ugliest 
tempers  —  attributable  doubtless  to  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Fix,  after  three  days  of  hard  shooting,  had  been 
obliged  to  go  to  London  on  business,  and  had  not 
yet  returned. 

"Ask  all  California  if  you  like,"  she  said  crossly, 
"but  tell  them  to  keep  out  of  my  way.  I  know  their 
airs  of  old." 

"It 's  not  at  all  likely  that  your  guests  would  put 
on  airs  with  you.  For  the  matter  of  that  you  have 
the  rank  that  all  good  Americans  approve  of  —  " 

"Some  people  are  putting  on  airs  with  me,"  said 
Lady  Barnstaple  darkly. 

This  was  an  obvious  opportunity  to  approach  a 
delicate  subject,  but  Lee  shrank  from  it.  Moreover, 
the  thing  would  have  run  its  natural  course  before 
her  return  and  one  more  unpleasantness  been 
avoided.  Lady  Mary's  advice  was  wise  and  appealed 
to  her  present  craving  for  a  long  period  of  irrespon 
sibility.  So  she  said  instead  : 

"  I  think  of  going  to  California  for  a  visit  — 
with  Mrs.  Montgomery,  about  the  middle  of 
October. " 

Lady  Barnstaple  raised  her  eyes   and   stared   at 
her  daughter-in-law.     Even  in  the  pink  light  it  was 
19  289 


American  Wives 

evident  that  she  changed  colour.  She  dropped  her 
eyes  suddenly. 

"California  is  a  long  way  off,"  she  said  dryly. 
"I  wonder  Cecil  consents;  but  these  little  separa 
tions  are  always  advisable.  How  long  shall  you 
stay?" 

"A  year,  possibly.  I  am  going  to  take  Mary 
Gifford  with  me  if  Mrs.  Montgomery  will  invite  her 
—  as  of  course  she  will." 

"  Oh,  do  marry  her  to  Randolph  Montgomery ! 
It  would  be  an  act  of  charity." 

"  How  pleased  she  would  be !  But  I  think  it  can 
be  managed,  particularly  as  Tiny  likes  her;  and 
Mrs.  Montgomery  would  be  sure  to  fall  in  love  with 
her  and  conceive  it  her  mission  to  modify  her 
voice." 

"Well,  I  hope  she'll  stay  in  California.  I'm 
sick  of  her.  I  'm  sick  of  the  rudeness  of  English 
people,  anyhow. " 

"  You  have  cultivated  their  rudeness  with  a  good 
deal  of  energy.  It  seems  to  me  that  most  Ameri 
cans  cultivate  that  attribute  more  successfully  than 
they  cultivate  any  others  of  the  many  English  attri 
butes  they  admire  so  profoundly,"  Lee  observed. 

"Well,  I  wish  you'd  let  me  alone!"  shrieked 
Lady  Barnstaple.  "Don't  speak  another  word  to 
me  to-day." 

Lee  hastily  retreated  and  sent  off  a  telegram  to 
Tom,  then  went  out  in  search  of  the  others.  She 
found  them  by  the  lake  feeding  the  swans. 

"The  swans  and  the  peacocks  make  it  all  just 
perfect ! "  cried  Coralie.  "  I  want  Ned  to  sit  up  all 

290 


and  English  Husbands 

night  with  me  in  the  crypt  to  see  if  there  won't  be 
a  ghost,  and  he  won't  do  it." 

"As  if  there  were  such  things,"  said  Mr.  Geary 
disdainfully. 

Lee  turned  to  Randolph.  "You  look  a  whole 
generation  older  than  Ned,"  she  said,  with  the  sen 
sation  of  having  just  made  the  discovery  of  how 
much  improved  he  was.  "  I  believe  you  could  almost 
bring  yourself  to  believe  in  a  ghost." 

He  smiled  and  opened  her  parasol.  "  And  you,  I 
am  afraid,  have  taken  on  at  least  a  century —  without 
being  aware  of  the  fact.  I  am  afraid  you  will  realise 
it  when  you  return  to  California." 

"  I  want  California  more  and  more  every  day." 

"  We  shall  see.  The  changes  of  association  are 
very  subtle.  I  can  only  hope  they  are  not  so  deeply 
wrought  in  you  as  they  sometimes  appear  to  be  — 
that  you  will  really  enjoy  your  year  in  California,  I 
mean." 

They  were  walking  toward  the  fell,  and  the  others 
were  some  distance  behind. 

"  I  am  going  to  ask  Aunty  to  invite  Mary  Gifford 
to  go  back  with  us.  She  is  my  best  friend  here  and 
she  is  simply  dying  for  a  change." 

"  I  am  sure  mother  will  be  delighted.  She  will 
undertake  her  reformation  at  once." 

"  That  is  what  I  told  Emmy.  How  do  you  like 
her  —  Mary,  I  mean?" 

"  She  interests  me  very  much,  if  only  to  see  how 
wide  she  can  open  her  mouth." 

"  No,  but  seriously  —  Mary  is  such  a  problem  to 
me." 

291 


American  Wives 

"Well,  she 's  a  beauty,  like  a  blue  and  white  moon 
light  in  mid-winter ;  and  has  a  tantalising  sort  of  elu- 
siveness.  I  detest  Englishwomen  as  a  rule,  but  I 
never  met  a  woman  before  who  talked  so  loud  and  at 
the  same  time  suggested  an  almost  exaggerated 
shrinking  and  modesty.  The  combination  is  certainly 
striking." 

"  It  is  n't  that  she 's  really  cold,"  said  Lee,  with  the 
deep  subtlety  of  her  sex,  "  but  she 's  never  met  the 
right  man.  I  only  hope  she  won't  fall  in  love  with 
you,  but  she  admires  you  tremendously." 

"  Ah !  " 

"Do  pay  her  a  lot  of  compliments  and  show  her  a 
lot  of  little  attentions ;  Englishwomen  get  so  tired  of 
doing  all  the  work.  But  don't  make  love  to  her." 

"  I  have  no  intention  of  making  love  to  her,"  said 
Randolph ;  but  if  he  had  a  deeper  meaning  he  kept 
it  out  of  his  eyes  —  those  eyes  which  had  lost  their 
nervous  facility  of  expression,  and  rarely  looked  other 
wise  than  cold  and  grey  and  thoughtful. 

Tom  arrived  next  morning  talkative,  restless,  and 
irresponsible ;  but  although  he  frankly  avowed  him 
self  as  much  in  love  as  ever,  he  hastened  to  add  that 
he  would  not  mention  it  any  oftener  than  he  could 
help.  For  several  days  Lee  neglected  the  other 
guests  and  devoted  herself  to  her  old  friends.  The 
last  three  had  certainly  brought  the  breezes  of  the 
Pacific  with  them,  and  they  talked  California  until 
Lady  Mary,  who  had  joined  them  several  times,  de 
clared  she  could  stand  it  no  longer. 

"  I  '11  go  with  you  gladly  if  Mrs.  Montgomery  will 
take  me ;  and  I  intend  to  make  love  to  her,  you  may 

292 


and  English  Husbands 

be  sure,"  she  said  to  Lee,  "  but  I  really  can't  stand 
feeling  so  out  of  it.  And  besides  you  are  all  so  in 
timate  and  happy  together,  it 's  almost  a  sin  to  in 
trude.  You  're  looking  much  brighter  since  they 
came." 

"  It  has  done  me  good  to  see  them  again,  and  it 's 
made  me  want  to  go  back  more  than  ever." 

"I  can  understand.  But  it's  a  pity  Cecil  can't  go 
with  you.  He  's  looking  rather  glum.  Is  that  what 's 
the  matter  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  said  Lee  uneasily.  "  I  'm  going 
to  have  a  talk  with  him  on  Sunday.  I  did  say  some 
thing  about  it  on  Monday  night,  but  of  course  — 

well " 

r\  "  It 's  hard  to  persuade  an  English  husband  that 
v  he  's  got  to  conform  to  the  American  habit  of  matri- 
Vnonial  vacations  and  plenty  of  them."  Lady  Mary 
laughed.  "  Speaking  of  vacations,  Mr.  Fix  is  taking 
rather  a  long  one,  but  I  believe  he  returns  on  Monday. 
I  can't  quite  make  out,  but  I  fancy  the  men  have  rather 
snubbed  him  —  as  much  as  they  decently  can.  He 
must  feel  frightfully  out  of  it.  I  only  hope  he  won't 
lose  his  temper.  He  's  got  a  nasty  one,  and  if  he  let  it 
go  he  's  underbred  enough  to  shriek  out  anything.  I 
saw  with  my  own  eyes  that  Lord  Barnstaple  avoided 
playing  with  him  the  night  before  he  left.  Of  course 
Lord  Barnstaple  carried  it  off  as  he  does  everything, 
but  I  think  the  man  noticed  it  all  the  same." 

"  Then  I  wish  he  had  pride  enough  to  keep  out  of 
the  house,  but  of  course  he  has  n't." 

"  Your  Californians  now  are  so  different.     They  are 

quite  com  me  il  faut ' 

293 


American  Wives 

"  Mary  Gifford,  you  are  really  intolerably  rude  !  " 
"  Upon  my  word  I  don't  mean  to  be.  And  as  you 
know,  I  want  to  marry  one."  She  paused  a  moment, 
then  raised  her  cold  blue  eyes  to  Lee's.  "  I  too  have  a 
will  of  my  own,"  she  announced,  "  and  when  I  make 
up  my  mind  to  do  a  thing  I  do  it.  I  am  going  to 
marry  Mr.  Montgomery,  and  whether  you  go  back  to 
California  or  not  I  am  going  with  my  future  mother- 
in-law." 

"  Of  course  I  shall  go ;    and   it  is  seldom  that  a 
\  woman  —  particularly  a  beauty  —  fails  to  get  a  man  if 
she  makes  up  her  mind  to   it.       He  is  interested; 
/.there's  that  much  gained." 


294 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XIX 

MRS.  MONTGOMERY  arrived  the  next  day 
without  Tiny,  whose  children  were  ailing. 
As  the  following  day  was  Sunday,  and  as  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery  would  hardly  let  Lee  out  of  her  sight,  the 
definite  understanding  with  Cecil  had  to  be  post 
poned.  She  had  seen  practically  nothing  of  him 
since  Tuesday.  Mr.  Geary  and  Mr.  Brannan  laughed 
at  the  bare  idea  of  tramping  about  all  day  carrying  a 
heavy  gun,  nor  did  they,  nor  Coral ie,  fancy  the  idea 
of  luncheon  on  the  moor.  They  wanted  Lee  to 
themselves,  and  they  had  a  little  picnic  every  day. 
Mrs.  Montgomery  was  too  old  for  picnics,  and  Lady 
Mary  announced  her  intention  of  taking  the  good 
lady  on  her  own  hands.  Before  sunset  she  had  be 
wildered  and  fascinated  her  victim,  and  by  noon  the 
next  day  had  received  the  desired  invitation. 

"  I  wish  I  could  have  had  the  bringing  up  of  her," 
said  Mrs.  Montgomery  earnestly  to  Lee.  "She's 
really  very  peculiar,  and  has  shockingly  bad  man 
ners,  but  with  it  all  she  is  high-bred;  it's  really 
very  strange.  With  us  it  's  either  one  thing  or  the 
other.  And  she  's  so  sweet.  I  'm  sure  if  I  scold  her 
a  little  after  a  while  she  won't  mind  it  a  bit." 

"I  'm  sure  she  '11  take  it  like  an  angel,"  said  Lee, 
295 


American  Wives 

who  had  told  Mary  what  she  was  to  expect,  and  could 
still  hear  that  young  lady's  loud  delighted  laugh. 
"And  be  sure  you're  good  to  her.  She's  very 
much  alone  in  the  world." 

Lee's  conscience  hurt  her  less  at  this  deliberate 
scheming  than  it  might  have  done  a  few  weeks 
since,  for  she  had  by  this  time  convinced  herself 
that  Mary  was  really  in  love  with  Randolph;  and 
she  was  certainly  a  wife  of  whom  any  man  might 
be  proud. 

On  Tuesday  evening  as  Lee  and  her  friends  were 
descending  the  fell  —  on  whose  broad  summit  they 
had  laughed  the  afternoon  away,  and  Lee  had  been 
petted  and  flattered  to  her  heart's  content  —  she 
paused  suddenly  and  put  her  hand  above  her  eyes. 
Far  away,  walking  slowly  along  the  ridge  of  hillocks 
that  formed  the  southeastern  edge  of  the  moor,  was 
a  man  whose  carriage,  even  at  that  distance,  was 
familiar.  She  stared  hard.  It  was  certainly  Cecil. 
He  was  alone,  and,  undoubtedly,  thinking.  She 
made  up  her  mind  in  an  instant. 

"I  see  Cecil,"  she  said.  "I'm  going  to  bring 
him  home.  You  go  on  to  the  Abbey."  And  she 
hurried  away. 

Doubtless  he  had  been  there  for  some  time,  and 
had  sought  the  solitude  deliberately :  the  men  were 
shooting  miles  away;  apparently  even  sport  had 
failed  him.  She  made  tight  little  fists  of  her  hands. 
Her  morbidity  had  not  outlasted  the  night  of  her 
momentous  interview  with  her  husband,  but  her  old 
friends  had  both  satisfied  her  longings  for  previous 
conditions,  and  rooted  her  desire  for  a  few  months' 

296 


and  English  Husbands 

freedom.  It  was  true  that,  with  the  exception  of 
Randolph,  they  bored  her  a  little  at  times,  but  the 
fact  remained  that  they  symbolised  the  freest  and 
imost  brilliant  part  of  her  life,  and  that  they  were  in 
delightful  accord  with  the  lighter  side  of  her  nature. 
Cecil,  outlined  against  the  sky  over  there  in  the 
purple,  alone,  and,  beyond  a  doubt,  perturbed  and 
unhappy,  made  her  feel  as  cruel  and  selfish  as  she 
could  feel  in  her  present  mood.  She  rebelled  against 
the  serious  conversation  before  her,  and  wondered  if 
she  had  slipped  from  her  heights  forever.  They  had 
been  very  pleasant. 

Cecil  saw  her  coming  and  met  her  half-way.  She 
smiled  brilliantly,  slipped  her  hand  in  his,  and 
kissed  him. 

"You  are  thinking  it  over,"  she  said,  with  the 
directness  that  he  liked. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  about  a  good  many  things. 
I  have  been  wondering  how  I  could  have  lived  with 
you  for  three  years  and  known  you  so  little.  I  hardly 
knew  you  the  other  night  at  all,  and  I  never  believed 
that  you  would  care  to  leave  me." 

"  Cecil !  You  are  so  serious.  You  take  things  so 
tragically.  I  cant  look  at  it  as  you  do,  because  I 
have  seen  women  going  to  Europe  all  my  life  with 
out  their  husbands.  One  would  think  I  was  wanting 
to  get  a  divorce ! " 

"  Are  you  trying  to  make  me  feel  that  I  am  mak 
ing  an  ass  of  myself?  I  think  you  know  that  I  have 
my  own  ideas  about  most  things,  and  that  I  am  not 
in  the  least  ashamed  of  them.  I  married  you  to 
live  with  you,  to  keep  you  here  beside  me  so  long  as 

297 


American  Wives 

we  both  lived.  I  have  no  understanding  of  and  no 
patience  with  any  other  sort  of  marriage.  And  I 
think  you  knew  when  you  accepted  me  that  I  had 
not  the  making  of  an  American  husband  in  me." 

"  I  never  deluded  myself  for  a  moment.  And  you 
must  admit  that  I  have  been  English  enough !  Be 
lieve  me  when  I  say  that  a  brief  relapse  on  my  part 
is  necessary " 

"  I  cannot  understand  your  having  a  '  relapse ' 
unless  you  are  tired  of  me." 

"  I  am  not  in  the  least  tired  of  you ;  no  one  could 
ever  tire  of  you.  It  is  all  so  subtle " 

"  Don't  talk  verbiage,  please.  There  are  no  sub 
tleties  that  can't  be  turned  into  black  and  white  if 
you  choose  to  do  it.  I  can  quite  understand  your 
being  homesick  for  California,  and  I  've  fully  in 
tended  to  take  you  back  some  day.  But  you  might 
wait.  I  have  kept  you  pretty  hard  at  the  grind,  and 
if  it  were  not  for  all  the  political  work  I  've  got  to 
do  this  autumn  and  winter,  I  'd  take  you  over  to  the 
Continent  for  a  few  months.  And  after  a  year  or 
two  we  shall  do  a  great  deal  of  travelling,  I  hope :  I 
want  more  and  more  to  study  the  colonies." 

"  That  is  one  reason  I  thought  it  best  to  go  now 
—  you  are  going  to  be  so  busy  you  won't  miss  me  at 
all.  When  you're  travelling  about,  speaking  here 
and  speaking  there,  you  '11  be  surrounded  by  men  all 
the  time.  You  won't  need  me  in  the  least. " 

"  It  is  always  the  greatest  possible  pleasure  to  me 
to  know  that  you  are  where  I  can  see  you  at  any 
moment,  and  that  you  have  no  interests  apart  from 
my  own." 

298 


and  English  Husbands 

"That  is  just  the  point.  I  should  like  a  few 
trifling  ones  for  a  time.  If  you  want  it  in  plain 
English,  here  it  is  —  I  want  to  be  an  Individual  for 
just  one  year.  I  made  a  great  effort  to  surrender 
all  I  had  to  you,  and  you  must  admit  that  I  was  a 
success.  But  reaction  is  bound  to  come  sooner  or 
later,  and  that  is  what  is  the  matter  with  me." 

Cecil  stood  still  and  looked  at  her.  "Oh,"  he 
remarked.  "That  is  it?  Why  did  n't  you  say  so 
at  once  ?  I  ought  to  have  expected  it,  I  suppose.  I 
saw  what  you  were  before  I  married  you  —  about  the 
worst  spoiled  woman  I  had  ever  met  in  my  life.  But 
you  had  brains  and  character,  and  you  loved  me.  I 
hoped  for  everything." 

"And  you  can't  be  so  ungrateful  as  to  say  that 
you  have  been  disappointed." 

"  No.  I  certainly  have  not  been  —  up  to  a  week 
ago :  I  thought  you  the  most  perfect  woman  God  ever 
made. " 

Lee  flushed  with  pleasure  and  took  his  hand 
again. 

"I  wouldn't  make  you  unhappy  for  the  world," 
she  said.  "  Only  I  thought  I  could  show  you  that  it 
was  for  the  best.  We  are  what  we  are.  Brain  and 
will  and  love  can  do  a  great  deal,  an  immense 
amount,  but  it  can't  make  us  quite  over.  We  bolt 
our  original  self  under  and  he  gnaws  at  the  lock  and 
gets  out  sooner  or  later.  The  best  way  is  to  give 
him  his  head  for  a  little  and  then  he  will  go  back 

and  be  quiet  for  a  long  time  again.  But "  she 

hesitated  for  so  long  a  time  that  Cecil,  who  had 
been  ramming  his  stick  into  the  ground,  turned  and 

299 


American  Wives 

looked  at  her.     "If  I  can't  make  you  agree  with 
me,"  she  said,  "I  won't  go." 

"But  you  would  stay  unwillingly." 

"  Oh,  I  do  want  to  go !  " 

"Then  go,  by  all  means,"  he  said. 


300 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER   XX 

DURING  the  following  week  Lee  was  not  so 
absorbed  in  her  friends  that  she  would  have 
been  oblivious  to  a  certain  discomposure  of  the 
Abbey's  atmosphere,  even  had  Mary  Gifford  not 
called  her  attention  to  it.  Some  of  the  guests  had 
given  place  to  others,  but  the  Fixes,  Lady  Mary, 
and  the  Californians  still  remained.  Of  course  they 
were  all  scattered  during  the  day,  but  the  evenings 
were  spent  in  the  great  drawing-room  and  adjoining 
boudoirs  and  billiard-room,  and  it  was  obvious  to 
the  most  indifferent  that  there  was  a  discord  in  the 
usual  harmony  of  the  Abbey  at  this  season.  Lady 
Barnstaple's  temper  had  never  been  more  uncertain, 
but  no  one  minded  that :  Emmy  was  always  sure  to 
be  amusing,  whether  deliberately  or  otherwise ;  that 
was  her  r61e.  Nor  was  any  one  particularly  dis 
turbed  by  the  increased  acidity  of  Lord  Barnstaple's 
remarks ;  for  when  a  man  is  clever  he  must  be  given 
his  head,  as  Captain  Monmouth  had  remarked  shortly 
before  he  left;  "and  some  pills  are  really  cannon 
balls,"  he  had  added  darkly. 

Mr.  Fix  was  the  disturbing  element.  He  had 
managed  to  keep  an  effective  shade  over  the  light 
of  his  commonness  in  London,  for  he  did  not  go 
out  too  much  and  was  oftener  in  Paris.  Moreover, 
Victoria,  who  was  painfully  irreproachable,  had 

301 


American  Wives 

provided  a  sort  of  family  reputation  on  which  he 
travelled.  But  in  the  fierce  and  unremitting  light 
of  a  house-party  he  revealed  himself,  and  it  was  evi 
dent  that  he  was  aware  of  the  fact ;  his  assumption 
of  ease  and  of  the  manner  to  which  his  fellow-guests 
were  born  grew  more  defiant  daily,  and  there  were 
times  when  his  brow  was  dark  and  heavy.  Every 
body  wondered  why  he  did  not  leave.  He  handled 
his  gun  clumsily,  and  with  manifest  distaste,  and  it 
was  plain  that  he  had  not  so  much  as  the  seedling  of 
the  passion  for  sport.  Nevertheless  he  stuck  to  it, 
and  asserted  that  he  longed  for  October  that  he  might 
distinguish  himself  in  the  covers. 

If  the  man  had  succeeded  in  giving  himself  an 
acceptable  veneer,  or  if  he  had  had  the  wit  to  make 
himself  useful  financially  to  the  men  with  whom  he 
aspired  to  associate,  he  would  have  gone  down  as 
others  of  his  gilded  ilk  had  gone  down;  but,  as  it 
was,  every  man  in  the  Abbey  longed  to  kick  him, 
and  they  snubbed  him  as  pointedly  as  in  common 
courtesy  to  their  host  they  could. 

"  I  am  actually  uneasy,"  said  Lady  Mary  to  Lee 
one  evening  as  they  stood  apart  for  a  moment  in 
the  drawing-room.  The  guests  looked  unconcerned 
enough.  They  were  talking  and  laughing,  some  pre 
tending  to  fight  for  their  favourite  tables ;  while  in 
the  billiard-room  across  the  hall  a  half-dozen  of  the 
younger  married  women  were  romping  about  the 
table,  shrieking  their  laughter.  But  Victoria  Fix, 
looking  less  like  a  marble  than  usual,  stood  alone  in 
a  doorway  intently  regarding  her  brother,  who  was 
also  conspicuously  alone.  And  although  Emmy  was 

302 


and  English  Husbands 

flitting  about  as  usual,  there  was  an  angry  light  in  her 
eyes  and  an  ugly  compression  of  her  lips. 

"  I  wish  it  were  the  last  of  September,"  replied 
Lee. 

"  So  do  I  —  or  that  we  were  in  California.  I  feel 
as  if  some  one  had  a  lighted  fuse  in  his  hand  and  was 
hunting  for  dynamite.  It's  really  terrible  to  think 
what  might  happen  if  that  man  lost  his  temper  and 
opened  his  mouth." 

"  I  don't  want  to  think  of  it.  And  where  there 
are  so  many  people  nothing  is  really  likely  to  happen ; 
there  are  so  many  small  diversions." 

But  she  broached  the  subject  to  Cecil  as  they  were 
walking  along  the  corridors  to  their  tower  some 
hours  later.  Apparently  they  were  the  best  of  friends 
again,  for  Cecil  was  not  the  man  to  do  anything  by 
halves.  He  had  not  even  returned  to  the  subject; 
and  if  he  were  still  wounded  and  unquiet  he  gave  no 
sign. 

"  I  wish  that  horrid  Mr.  Fix  would  go,"  said  Lee 
tentatively.  "  He 's  so  out  of  it,  I  wonder  he 
doesn't." 

"  I  can't  imagine  what  he  came  for.  I  never  saw 
a  man  look  such  an  ass  on  the  moors." 

"  He  must  get  on  your  father's  nerves." 

"  I  fancy  he  does.  I  suppose  Emmy  asked  him 
here.  She  could  hardly  avoid  it,  she 's  so  intimate 
with  Miss  Fix.  By  the  way,  that  woman  actually 
talked  at  dinner  to-night ;  you  may  not  have  noticed, 
but  I  had  her  on  my  left ;  I  suppose  I  'm  in  Emmy's 
bad  graces  for  some  reason  or  other.  But  she  really 
seemed  bent  on  making  herself  entertaining.  She 

303 


American  Wives 

has  something  in  her  head,  I  fancy.  If  less  of  it  were 
snobbery  she  would  n't  be  half  bad." 

"  Fancy  what  you  escaped.  If  you  had  never 
come  to  America  they  might  have  married  you  to 
the  Fixes." 

"  The  person  has  yet  to  be  born  who  could  do  my 
marrying  for  me,"  said  Cecil ;  and  there  was  no  doubt 
that  he  knew  himself. 


3°4 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  next  afternoon  as  Lee  was  taking  tea  with 
the  other  guests  in  the  library  she  happened 
to  glance  out  of  the  window,  and  saw  Lord  Barnstaple 
returning  from  the  moors,  alone.  It  was  an  unusual 
occurrence,  for  he  was  an  ardent  and  vigorous  sports 
man.  Ten  minutes  later  she  became  aware  that 
a  servant  in  the  corridor  was  endeavouring  to  attract 
her  attention.  She  went  out  at  once  and  closed  the 
door.  The  servant  told  her  that  Lord  Barnstaple 
desired  an  interview  with  her  in  his  own  sitting-room ; 
he  feared  interruptions  in  her  boudoir. 

Lee  went  rapidly  to  his  rooms,  curious  and  un 
easy.  She  felt  very  much  like  running  away,  but 
Lord  Barnstaple  had  been  consistently  kind  to  her, 
and  was  justified  in  demanding  what  return  she  could 
give  him. 

He  was  walking  up  and  down,  and  his  eyebrows 
were  more  perturbed  than  supercilious. 

"  I  want  to  know  if  you  will  give  me  a  little  help," 
he  said  abruptly. 

"  Of  course  I  will  do  anything  I  can." 

"  I  want  that  bounder,  Fix,  put  out  of  this  house. 

I  can't  stand  him  another  day  without  insulting  him, 

and  of  course  I  don't  want  to  do  that.     But   he  is 

Emmy's  guest  and  she  can  get  rid  of  him  —  I  don't 

20  305 


American  Wives 

care  how  she  does  it.  Of  course  I  can't  speak  to 
her;  she  would  be  in  hysterics  before  I  was  half 
through;  and  would  keep  him  here  to  spite  me." 

"  And  you  want  me  to  speak  to  her?  " 

"  I  'm  not  asking  you  to  undertake  a  very  pleasant 
task ;  but  you  're  the  only  person  who  has  the  least 
influence  over  her,  except  Cecil  —  and  I  don't  care  to 
speak  to  him  about  it." 

"  But  what  am  I  to  say  to  her?     What  excuse?  " 

Lord  Barnstaple  wheeled  about  sharply.  "  Can't 
you  think  of  any?"  he  asked. 

Lee  kept  her  face  immobile,  but  she  turned  away 
her  eyes. 

Lord  Barnstaple  laughed.  "  Unless  you  are  blind 
you  can  see  what  is  becoming  plain  enough,"  he  said 
harshly.  "  I  Ve  seen  him  hanging  about  for  some 
time,  but  it  never  occurred  to  me  that  he  might  be 
her  lover  until  lately.  I  don't  care  a  hang  about  her 
and  her  lovers,  but  she  can't  bring  that  sort  to  the 
Abbey." 

"  I  can  tell  her  that  everybody  is  talking  and  that 
the  women  are  hinting  that  unless  she  drops  him 
she  '11  be  dropped  herself." 

"  Quite  so.  You  '11  have  a  nasty  scene.  It  is  good 
of  you  to  undertake  it  without  making  me  argue  my 
self  hoarse." 

"  I  am  one  of  you ;  you  must  know  that  I  would 
willingly  do  anything  for  the  family  interests  that  I 
could." 

"  You  do  belong  to  us,"  said  Lord  Barnstaple  with 
some  enthusiasm.  "And  that  is  what  Emmy  has 
never  done  for  a  moment.  By  the  way,"  he  hesi- 

306 


and  English  Husbands 

tated,  "  I  hate  to  mention  it  now,  it  looks  as  if  I  were 
hastening  to  reward  you ;  but  the  fact  is  I  had  made 
up  my  mind  to  give  you  my  wife's  jewels.  They  are 
very  fine,  and  Emmy  does  not  even  know  of  their 
existence.  I  suppose  it  would  have  been  rather  de 
cent  of  me  to  have  given  them  to  you  long  ago: 
but " 

Lee  nodded  to  him,  smiling  sympathetically. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  hated  to  part  with  them.  But 
I  shan't  mind  your  having  them.  I'll  write  to  my 
solicitors  at  once  to  send  them  down ;  I  Ve  got  to 
pass  the  time  somehow.  For  Heaven's  sake  come 
back  and  tell  me  how  she  takes  it." 

"  I  don't  suppose  I  shall  be  long.  I  have  n't  thanked 
you.  Of  course  I  shall  be  delighted  to  have  the 
jewels." 

"  You  ought  to  have  the  Barnstaple  ones,  but  she 's 
capable  of  outliving  the  whole  of  us." 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XXII 

AS  Lee  walked  along  the  many  corridors  to  her 
mother-in-law's  rooms  she  reflected  that  she 
was  grateful  Lord  Barnstaple  had  not  refrained  from 
mentioning  the  diamonds:  their  vision  was  both 
pleasing  and  sustaining.  She  was  obliged  to  give 
serious  thought  to  the  coming  interview,  but  they 
glittered  in  the  background  and  poured  their  sooth 
ing  light  along  her  nerves. 

Lady  Barnstaple  had  but  just  risen  from  her  after 
noon  nap  and  was  drinking  her  tea.  She  looked 
cross  and  dishevelled. 

"  Do  sit  down,"  she  said,  as  Lee  picked  up  a  porce 
lain  ornament  from  the  mantel  and  examined  it.  "  I 
hate  people  to  stand  round  in  spots." 

Lee  took  a  chair  opposite  her  mother-in-law.  She 
was  the  last  person  to  shirk  a  responsibility  when  she 
faced  the  point. 

"  You  have  seemed  very  nervous  lately,"  she  said. 
"  Is  anything  the  matter?  " 

"  Yes,  everything  is.  I  wish  I  could  simply  hurt 
some  people.  I  'd  go  a  long  ways  aside  to  do  it. 
What  right  have  these  God-Almighty  English  to  put 
on  such  airs,  anyhow?  One  person's  exactly  as 
good  as  another.  I  come  from  a  free  country  and  I 
like  it." 

308 


and  English  Husbands 

"  I  wonder  you  have  deserted  it  for  five-and-twenty 
years.  But  it  is  still  there." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  doubt  you  'd  like  to  get  rid  of  me. 
But  you  won't.  I  've  worn  myself  out  getting  to  the 
top,  and  on  the  top  I  '11  stay.  I  'd  be  just  nothing  in 
New  York.  And  Chicago  — good  Lord  !  " 

"  You  Ve  stepped  down  two  or  three  rungs,  and  if 
you  're  not  careful  you  '11  find  yourself  at  the  foot  —  " 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  screamed  Lady  Barnstaple. 
"  I  Ve  half  a  mind  to  throw  this  teacup  at  you." 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  throw  anything  at  me.  I  should 
have  a  right  to  speak  even  if  I  did  not  consider  your 
own  interest  —  which  I  do ;  please  believe  me. 
Surely  you  must  know  that  Mr.  Fix  has  hurt  you." 

"  I  'd  like  to  know  why  /  can't  have  a  lover  as  well 
as  anybody  else." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  acknowledge  that  he  is  your 
lover?" 

"  It 's  none  of  your  business  whether  he  is  or  not ! 
And  I  'm  not  going  to  be  dictated  to  by  you  or  any 
body  else." 

Lady  Barnstaple  was  too  nervous  and  too  angry  to 
be  cowed  by  the  cold  blue  blaze  before  her,  but  she 
asserted  herself  the  more  defiantly. 

"  I  have  no  intention  of  dictating  to  you,  but  it 
certainly  is  my  business.  And  it 's  Lord  Barnstaple's 
and  Cecil's — " 

"  You  shut  up  your  mouth,"  screamed  Lady  Barn- 
staple  ;  her  language  always  revealed  its  pristine  sim 
plicity  when  her  nerves  were  fairly  galloping.  "  The 
idea  of  a  brat  like  you  sitting  up  there  and  lecturing 
me.  And  what  do  you  know  about  it,  I  'd  like  to 

3°9 


American  Wives 

know?  You  're  married  to  the  salt  of  the  earth  and 
you  're  such  a  fool  you  're  tired  of  him  already.  If 
you  'd  been  tied  up  for  twenty  years  to  a  cold-blooded 
brute  like  Barnstaple  you  might  —  yes,  you  might 
have  a  little  more  charity " 

"I  am  by  no  means  without  charity,  and  I  know 
that  you  are  not  happy.  I  wish  you  were ;  but  surely 
there  are  better  ways  of  consoling  oneself " 

"Are  there?  Well,  I  don't  know  anything  about 
them  and  I  guess  you  don't  know  much  more.  I  was 
pretty  when  I  married  Barnstaple,  and  I  was  really  in 
love  with  him,  if  you  want  to  know  it.  He  was  such 
a  real  swell,  and  I  was  so  ambitious,  I  admired  him 
to  death ;  and  he  was  so  indifferent  he  fascinated  me. 
But  he  never  even  had  the  decency  to  pretend  he 
had  n't  married  me  for  my  money.  He  's  never  so 
much  as  crossed  my  threshold,  if  you  want  to  know 
the  truth." 

"  People  say  he  was  in  love  with  his  first  wife,  and 
took  her  death  very  much  to  heart.  Perhaps  that 
was  it." 

"  That  was  just  it.  He 's  got  her  picture  hanging 
up  in  his  bedroom ;  won't  even  have  it  in  his  sitting- 
room  for  fear  somebody  else  might  look  at  it.  I  went 
to  see  him  once  out  of  pure  charity,  when  he  was  ill 
in  bed  and  he  shouted  at  me  to  get  out  before  I  'd 
crossed  the  threshold.  But  I  saw  her" 

"  I  must  say  I  respect  him  more  for  being  perfectly 
honest,  for  not  pretending  to  love  you.  After  all,  it 
was  a  square  business  transaction:  he  sold  you  a 
good  position  and  a  prospective  title.  You  Ve  both 

got  a  good  deal  out  of  it " 

310 


and  English  Husbands 

"  I  hate  him  !  I  hate  a  good  many  people  in  Eng 
land,  but  I  hate  him  the  most.  I  'm  biding  my  time, 
but  when  I  do  strike  there  won't  be  one  ounce  of 
starch  left  in  him.  I  'd  do  it  this  minute  if  it  was  n't 
for  Cecil.  What  right  has  he  got  to  stick  his  nose 
into  my  affairs  and  humiliate  the  only  man  that  ever 
really  loved  me " 

"  If  you  mean  Mr.  Fix,  it  seems  to  me  that  Lord 
Barnstaple  has  restrained  himself  as  only  a  gentle 
man  can.  He  is  a  very  fastidious  man,  and  you 
surely  cannot  be  so  blind  as  not  to  see  how  an 
underbred " 

"  Don't  you  dare ! "  shrieked  Lady  Barnstaple. 
She  sprang  to  her  feet,  overturning  the  tea-table  and 
ruining  her  pink  velvet  carpet.  "  He 's  as  good  as 
anybody,  I  tell  you,  and  so  am  I.  I  'm  sick  and  tired 
of  airs  —  that  cad's  that 's  ruined  me  and  your  ridi 
culous  Southern  nonsense.  I  'm  not  blind !  I  can 
see  you  look  down  on  me  because  I  ain't  connected 
with  your  old  broken  aristocracy!  What  does  it 
amount  to,  I  'd  like  to  know?  There's  only  one  thing 
that  amounts  to  anything  on  the  face  of  this  earth 
— ani-t^at  's  money.  You  can  turn  up  your  nose  at 
ChicagoTmt  I  can  tell  you  Chicago  'd  turn  up  its  nose 
at  you  if  it  had  ever  heard  of  you.  You  're  just  a 
nonentity,  with  all  your  airs,  and  all  your  eyes  too  for 
that  matter,  and  I  'm  known  on  two  continents.  I  'm 
the  Countess  of  Barnstaple,  if  I  was  —  but  it's  none 
of  yours  or  anybody  else's  business  who  I  was.  I  'm 
somebody  now  and  somebody  I  'm  going  to  stay.  If 
I  Ve  gone  down  three  rungs  I  '11  climb  up  again  —  I 
will !  I  will !  I  will !  And  I  can't !  I  can't !  I  can't ! 

3" 


American  Wives 

I  have  n't  a  penny  left !  Not  a  penny !  Not  a  penny ! 
I  'm  going  to  kill  myself " 

Lee  jumped  up,  caught  her  by  the  shoulders  and 
literally  shook  the  hysterics  out  of  her.  Then  she 
sat  her  violently  into  a  chair. 

"  Now !  "  she  said.  "  You  behave  yourself  or  I  '11 
shake  you  again.  I  '11  stand  none  of  your  nonsense 
and  I  have  several  things  to  say  to  you  yet.  So  keep 
quiet." 

Lady  Barnstaple  panted,  but  she  looked  cowed. 
She  did  not  raise  her  eyes. 

"  How  long  have  you  been  ruined?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  a  long  while." 

"And  you  are  spending  Mr.  Fix's  money?" 

"  Yes,  I  am." 

"  Do  the  Abbey  lands  pay  the  taxes  and  other  ex 
penses? —  and  the  expenses  of  the  shooting  season?  " 

"They  pay  next  to  nothing.  The  farms  are  too 
small.  It 's  all  woods  and  moor." 

"Then  Mr.  Fix  is  running  the  Abbey?" 

"  Yes  he  is  —  and  he  knows  it." 

"  And  you  have  no  sense  of  responsibility  to  the 
man  who  has  given  you  the  position  you  were  ready 
to  grovel  for?" 

"  He 's  a  beastly  cad." 

"  If  he  were  not  a  gentleman  he  could  have  man 
aged  you.  But  that  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  You 
have  no  right  to  enter  a  family  to  disgrace  it.  I  sup 
pose  it 's  not  possible  to  make  you  understand ;  but  its 
honour  should  be  your  own." 

"  I  don't  care  a  hang  about  any  such  high-falutin' 
nonsense.  I  entered  this  family  to  get  what  I  wanted, 

312 


and  English  Husbands 

and  when  it 's  got  no  more  to  give  me  it  can  be  the 
laughing-stock  of  England  for  all  I  care." 

"  I  thought  you  loved  Cecil." 

The  ugly  expression  which  had  been  deepening 
about  Lady  Barnstaple's  mouth  relaxed  for  a  moment. 

"I  do ;  but  I  can't  help  it.  He 's  got  to  go  with 
the  rest.  I  don't  know  that  I  care  much,  though; 
you  're  enough  to  make  me  hate  him.  What  I  hate 
more  than  everything  else  put  together  is  to  give  up 
the  Abbey.  And  you  can  be  sure  that  after  the  way 
Mr.  Fix  has  been  treated " 

"  Mr.  Fix  will  leave  this  house  to-night.  If  you 
don't  send  him  I  shall." 

"  You  're  a  fool.  If  you  knew  which  side  your  bread 
was  buttered  on  you  'd  make  such  a  fuss  over  him 
that  everybody  else  would  treat  him  decently " 

"  I  have  fully  identified  myself  with  my  husband's 
family,  if  you  have  not,  and  I  shall  do  nothing 
to  add  to  its  dishonour.  There  are  worse  things 
than  giving  up  the  Abbey  —  which  can  be  rented; 
it  need  not  be  sold.  The  Gearys  would  rent  it  to 
morrow." 

"  If  you  think  so  much  of  this  family  I  wonder  you 
can  make  up  your  mind  to  leave  it." 

Lee  hesitated  a  moment.  Then  she  said  :  "  I  shall 
never  leave  it  so  long  as  it  needs  me.  And  it  certainly 
needs  somebody  just  at  present.  Mr.  Fix  must  leave ; 
that's  the  first  point  Lord  Barnstaple  and  Cecil 
must  be  told  just  so  much  and  no  more.  Don't  you 
dare  tell  them  that  Mr.  Fix  has  been  running  the 
Abbey.  You  can  have  letters  from  Chicago  to 
morrow  saying  that  you  are  ruined." 


American  Wives 

"  If  Mr.  Fix  goes  I  follow.  Unless  I  can  keep  the 
Abbey  —  and  if  I  Ve  got  to  drop  out " 

"  You  can  suit  yourself  about  going  or  remaining. 
Only  don't  you  tell  Lord  Barnstaple  or  anybody  else 
whose  money  you  have  been  spending." 

"  I  'd  tell  him  and  everybody  else  this  minute  if 
it  weren't  for  Cecil.  He's  the  only  person  who's 
ever  really  treated  me  decently.  And  as  for  the 
Abbey " 

She  paused  so  long  that  Lee  received  a  mental 
telegram  of  something  still  worse  to  come.  As  Lady 
Barnstaple  raised  her  eyes  slowly  and  looked  at  her 
with  steady  malevolence  she  felt  her  burning  cheeks 
cool. 

"  He  would  n't  have  the  Abbey,  anyhow,  you 
know,"  said  Lady  Barnstaple. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  heard  you  jabbering  with  Barnstaple  and  Cecil 
not  long  since  about  the  Abbey  and  its  traditions,  but 
either  they  had  n't  told  you  or  you  had  n't  thought  it 
worth  remembering  —  that  there  is  a  curse  on  all 
Abbey  lands  and  that  it  has  worked  itself  out  in  this 
family  with  beautiful  regularity." 

"  I  never  heard  of  any  curse." 

"  Well,  the  priests,  or  monks,  or  whatever  they 
were,  cursed  the  Abbey  lands  when  they  were  turned 
out.  And  this  is  the  way  the  curse  works."  She 
paused  a  moment  longer  with  an  evident  sense  of  the 
dramatic.  "  They  never  descend  in  the  direct  line," 
she  added  with  all  possible  emphasis. 

"  I  am  too  American  for  superstition,"  but  her 
voice  had  lost  its  vigour. 


and  English  Husbands 

"  That  has  n't  very  much  to  do  with  it.  I  'm  merely 
mentioning  facts.  I  have  n't  gone  into  other  Abbey 
family  histories  very  extensively,  but  I  know  this  one. 
Never,  not  in  a  single  instance,  has  Maundrell  Abbey 
descended  from  father  to  son." 

Lee  looked  away  from  her  for  the  first  time.  Her 
eyes  blazed  no  longer;  they  looked  like  cold  blue 
ashes. 

"  It  is  time  to  break  the  rule,"  she  said. 

"  The  rule 's  not  going  to  be  broken.  Either  the 
Abbey  will  go  to  a  stranger,  or  Cecil  will  die  before 
Barnstaple  is  laid  out  in  the  crypt " 

Lee  rose.  "  It  is  an  interesting  superstition,  but  it 
will  have  to  wait,"  she  said.  "  I  am  going  now  to 
speak  to  Mr.  Fix —  unless  you  will  do  it  yourself." 

"  I  '11  do  it  myself  if  you  '11  be  kind  enough  to  mind 
your  business  that  far." 

"  Then  I  shall  go  and  tell  Lord  Barnstaple  that  you 
have  consented " 

"Ah!  He  sent  you,  did  he?  I  might  have 
known  it." 

Lee  bit  her  lip.  "I  am  sorry  —  but  it  doesn't 
matter.  If  to-day  is  a  sample  of  your  usual  perfor 
mances,  you  can't  expect  him  to  court  interviews 
with  you." 

"  Oh,  he 's  afraid  of  me.  I  could  make  any  man 
afraid  of  me,  thank  Heaven !  " 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

LEE  returned  to  her  father-in-law  more  slowly 
than  she  had  advanced  upon  the  enemy.  She 
longed  desperately  for  Cecil,  but  he  was  the  last 
person  in  whom  she  could  confide. 

Lord  Barnstaple  opened  the  door  for  her. 

"  How  pale  you  are  !  "  he  said.  "  I  suppose  I  sent 
you  to  about  the  nastiest  interview  of  your  life." 

"  Oh,  I  got  the  best  of  her.  She  was  screaming 
about  the  room  and  I  got  tired  of  it  and  nearly  shook 
the  life  out  of  her." 

Lord  Barnstaple  laughed  with  genuine  delight.  "  I 
knew  she'd  never  get  the  best  of  you,"  he  cried.  "  I 
knew  you  'd  trounce  her.  Well,  what  else?  " 

"  She  promised  to  tell  Mr.  Fix  he  must  go  to-night." 

"  Ah,  you  did  manage  her.    How  did  you  do  it?" 

"  I  told  her  I  'd  tell  him  if  she  did  n't." 

"  Good !  But  of  course  she  '11  get  back  at  us. 
What's  she  got  up  her  sleeve?" 

"  I  don't  think  she  knows  herself.  She 's  too 
excited.  I  think  she's  upset  about  a  good  many 
things.  She  seems  to  have  been  getting  bad  news 
from  Chicago  this  last  week  or  two." 

"  Ah !  "  Lord  Barnstaple  walked  over  to  the 
window.  He  turned  about  in  a  moment. 


and  English  Husbands 

"  I  have  felt  a  crash  in  the  air  for  a  long  time,"  he 
said  pinching  his  lips.  "  But  this  last  year  or  two 
her  affairs  seemed  to  take  a  new  start,  and  of  course 
her  fortune  was  a  large  one  and  could  stand  a  good 

deal  of  strain.     But  if  she  goes  to  pieces "  he 

spread  out  his  hands. 

"  If  Cecil  and  I  could  only  live  here  all  the  year 
round  we  could  keep  up  the  Abbey  in  a  way,  particu 
larly  if  you  rented  the  shootings ;  but  our  six  months 
in  town  take  fully  two  thousand " 

"  There 's  no  alternative,  I  'm  afraid :  we  '11  all  have 
to  get  out." 

"  But  you  would  n't  sell  it?  " 

"  I  shall  have  to  talk  it  over  with  Cecil.  The  rental 
would  pay  the  expenses  of  the  place;  but  I  can't 
live  forever,  and  when  I  give  place  to  him  the  death 
duties  will  make  a  large  hole  in  his  private  fortune. 
I  have  a  good  many  sins  to  repent  of  when  my  time 
comes." 

He  had  turned  very  pale,  and  he  looked  very 
harassed.  Lee  did  not  fling  her  arms  round  his  neck 
as  she  might  once  have  done,  but  she  took  his  hand 
and  patted  it. 

"You  and  Cecil  and  I  can  always  be  happy 
together,  even  without  the  Abbey,"  she  said.  "  If 
Emmy  really  loses  her  money  she  will  run  away  with 
Mr.  Fix  or  somebody.  We  three  will  live  together, 
and  forget  all  about  her.  And  we  won't  be  really 
poor." 

Lord  Barnstaple  kissed  her  and  patted  her  cheek, 
but  his  brow  did  not  clear. 

"  I  am  glad  Cecil  has  you,"  he  said,  "  the  time  may 


American  Wives 

come  when  he  will  need  you  badly.  He  loves  the 
Abbey  —  more  than  I  have  done,  I  suppose,  or  I 
should  have  taken  more  pains  to  keep  it." 

Lee  felt  half  inclined  to  tell  him  of  Randolph's 
promise ;  but  sometimes  she  thought  she  knew  Ran 
dolph,  and  sometimes  she  was  sure  she  did  not. 
She  had  no  right  to  raise  hopes,  which  converse 
potentialities  so  nicely  balanced.  Then  she  bethought 
herself  of  Emmy's  last  shot,  which  had  passed  out  of 
her  memory  for  the  moment.  She  must  speak  of  it 
to  some  one. 

"  She  said  something  terrible  to  me  just  before  I 
left.  I  'd  like  to  ask  you  about  it." 

"  Do.    Why  did  n't  you  give  her  another  shaking?" 

"I  was  knocked  out:  it  took  all  my  energies  to 
keep  her  from  seeing  it  She  said  that  Abbey  lands 
were  cursed,  and  never  descended  from  father  to 
son." 

Lord  Barnstaple  dropped  her  hand  and  walked  to 
the  window  again. 

"  It  has  been  a  curious  series  of  coincidences  in  our 
case,"  he  said,  "  but  as  our  lands  were  not  cursed 
more  vigorously  than  the  others,  and  as  a  good  many 
of  the  others  have  gone  scot  free  or  nearly  so,  we 
always  hope  for  better  luck  next  time.  There  is 
really  no  reason  why  our  luck  should  n't  change  any 
day.  The  old  brutes  ought  to  be  satisfied,  particularly 
as  we  Ve  taken  such  good  care  of  their  bones." 

"  Well,  if  the  Abbey  has  to  go,  I  hope  the  next 
people  will  be  haunted  out  of  it,"  said  Lee  viciously. 
"  I  must  go  and  dress  for  dinner.  Don't  worry ;  I 
have  a  fine  piece  of  property,  and  it  is  likely  to  increase 


and  English  Husbands 

in  value  any  day."  She  felt  justified  in  saying  this 
much. 

"  You  had  an  air  of  bringing  good  luck  with  you 
when  you  came.  It  was  a  fancy,  of  course,  but  I 
remember  it  impressed  me." 

"  That  is  the  reason  you  did  n't  scold  me  for  not 
bringing  a  million,  as  Emmy  did  ?  " 

"  Did  she  ?    The  little  beast !    Well,  go  and  dress." 


American  Wives 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

AS  Cecil  and  Lee  were  descending  the  tower  stair 
an  hour  later  he  said  to  her : 

"  Don't  look  for  me  to-night  when  you  are  ready 
to  come  home;  I  am  coming  straight  here  after 
dinner.  It's  high  time  I  got  to  work  on  my 
speeches." 

She  slipped  her  hand  into  his.  "  Shall  I  come  too 
and  sit  with  you  ?  " 

He  returned  her  pressure  and  did  not  answer  at 
once.  Then  he  said  :  "  No ;  I  think  I  'd  rather  you 
did  n't.  If  I  am  to  lose  you  for  a  year  I  had  better 
get  used  to  it  as  soon  as  possible." 

She  lifted  her  head  to  tell  him  that  she  had  no  in 
tention  of  leaving  him  for  the  present,  then  felt  a  per 
verse  desire  to  torment  him  a  little  longer.  She  intended 
to  be  so  charming  to  him  later  that  she  felt  she  owed 
that  much  to  herself.  But  she  was  dressed  to-night 
for  his  special  delectation.  If  Cecil  had  a  preference 
in  the  matter  of  her  attire  it  was  for  transparent  white, 
and  she  wore  a  gown  of  white  embroidered  mousseline 
de  soie  flecked  here  and  there  with  blue. 

They  were  still  some  distance  from  the  door  which 
led  into  the  first  of  the  corridors,  for  the  stair  was 
winding,  worn,  and  steep,  and,  in  spite  of  several 
little  lamps,  almost  dark.  Cecil  paused  suddenly  and 

320 


and  English  Husbands 

turned  to  her,  plunging  his  hands  into  his  pockets. 
She  could  hardly  see  his  face,  for  a  slender  ray  from 
above  lay  full  across  her  eyes ;  but  she  had  thought, 
as  she  had  joined  him  in  the  sitting-room  above  a 
few  moments  since,  that  he  had  never  looked  more 
handsome.  He  grew  pale  in  London,  but  a  few  days 
on  the  moors  always  gave  him  back  his  tan ;  and  it 
had  also  occurred  to  her  that  the  past  two  weeks  had 
given  him  an  added  depth  of  expression,  robbed  him 
of  a  trifle  of  that  serenity  which  Circumstance  had 
so  persistently  fostered. 

"  There  is  something  I  should  like  to  say,"  he 
began,  with  manifest  hesitation.  "  I  should  n't  like 
you  to  go  on  thinking  that  I  have  not  appreciated 
your  long  and  unfailing  sacrifice  during  thes.e  three 
years.  I  was  too  happy  to  analyse,  I  suppose,  and 
you  seemed  happy  too ;  but  of  course  I  can  see  now 
that  you  were  making  a  deliberate  —  and  noble  — 
attempt  —  to  —  to  make  yourself  over,  to  suppress 
an  individuality  of  uncommon  strength  in  order  to 
live  up  to  a  man's  selfish  ideal.  Of  course  when  I 
practically  suggested  it,  I  knew  what  I  was  talking 
about,  but  I  was  too  much  of  a  man  to  realise  what 
it  meant  —  and  I  had  not  lived  with  you.  I  can 
assure  you  that,  great  as  your  success  was,  I  have 
realised,  in  this  past  week,  that  I  had  absorbed  your 
real  self,  that  I  understood  you  as  no  man  who  had 
lived  with  you  and  loved  you  as  much  as  I  —  no 
man  to  whom  you  had  been  so  much,  could  fail  to 
do.  I  am  expressing  myself  about  as  badly  as  pos 
sible,  but  the  idea  that  you  should  think  me  so 
utterly  selfish  and  unappreciative  after  all  you  have 
31  321 


American  Wives 

given  up  —  have  given  me  —  has  literally  tortured 
me.  I  don't  wonder  you  want  a  fling.  Go  and  have 
it,  but  come  back  to  me  as  soon  as  you  can." 

She  made  no  reply,  for  she  wanted  to  say  many 
things  at  once.  But  it  is  possible  that  he  read  some 
thing  of  it  in  her  eyes — at  least  she  prayed  a  few 
hours  later  that  he  had  —  for  he  caught  her  hard 
against  him  and  kissed  her  many  times.  Then  he 
hurried  on,  as  if  he  feared  she  would  think  he  had 
spoken  as  a  suppliant. 

When  she  joined  him  in  the  corridor  the  Gearys 
were  waiting  for  them,  and  Coralie  immediately 
began  to  chatter.  Her  conversation  was  like  a  very 
light  champagne,  sparkling  but  not  mounting  to  the 
brain.  Lee  felt  distinctly  bored.  She  would  have 
liked  to  dine  alone  with  Cecil  and  then  to  spend  with 
him  a  long  evening  of  mutual  explanation  and  remin 
iscence,  and  many  intervals.  She  answered  Coralie 
at  random,  and  in  a  few  moments  her  mind  reverted 
with  a  startled  leap  to  the  pregnant  hours  of  the 
afternoon.  Could  she  keep  Cecil  ignorant  of  the  dis 
grace  which  had  threatened  him?  Had  Fix  gone? 
Would  Emmy  hold  her  counsel?  She  had  forgotten 
to  ask  Lord  Barnstaple  to  keep  away  from  her;  but 
such  advice  was  hardly  necessary. 

"  Where  on  earth  did  you  disappear  to  this  after 
noon?"  Coralie  was  demanding.  "I  hunted  over 
the  whole  Abbey  for  you  and  I  got  lost  and  then  I 
tried  to  talk  to  that  Miss  Fix  and  she  asked  me  all 
about  divorce  in  the  United  States  —  of  all  things ! 
I  wonder  if  she  's  got  a  husband  tucked  away  some 
where —  those  monumental  people  are  often  bigger 

322 


and  English  Husbands 

fools  than  they  look.  I  told  her  that  American 
divorces  were  no  good  in  England  unless  they  were 
obtained  on  English  statutory  grounds  —  we'd  known 
some  one  who 'd  tried  it.  She  looked  as  mad  as  a 
hornet,  just  like  her  brother  for  a  minute.  And  he 
fairly  makes  me  ill,  Lee.  Just  fancy  our  having  such 
people  in  the  house.  I  must  say  that  the  English 
with  all  their  blood " 

"  Oh,  do  keep  quiet ! "  said  Lee  impatiently. 
Then  she  apologised  hurriedly.  "  I  have  a  good 
deal  to  think  about  just  now,"  she  added. 

Coralie  was  gazing  at  her  with  a  scarlet  face. 
"  Well,  I  think  it 's  about  time  you  came  back  to 
California,"  she  said  sarcastically.  "  Your  manners 
need  brushing  up." 

But  Lee  only  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  refused 
to  humble  herself  further.  She  was  beset  with  impa 
tience  to  reach  the  library  and  ascertain  if  Pix  had 
gone. 

He  was  there.  And  he  was  standing  apart  with 
his  sister.  His  set  thick  profile  was  turned  to  the 
door.  He  was  talking,  and  it  was  evident  that  his 
voice  was  pitched  very  low. 

As  the  company  was  passing  down  the  corridor 
which  led  to  the  stair  just  beyond  the  dining-room, 
Lady  Barnstaple's  maid  came  hastily  from  the  wing 
beyond  and  asked  Lee  to  take  her  ladyship's  place  at 
the  table. 

It  seemed  to  Lee  as  the  dinner  progressed  that 
with  a  few  exceptions  every  one  was  in  a  feverish 
state  of  excitement.  The  exceptions  were  the  Fixes, 
who  barely  made  a  remark,  Cecil,  who  seemed  as 

323 


American  Wives 

usual  and  was  endeavouring  to  entertain  his  neigh 
bour,  and  Lord  Barnstaple,  whose  brow  was  very 
dark.  Mary  Gifford's  large  laugh  barely  gave  its 
echoes  time  to  finish,  and  the  others  certainly  talked 
even  louder  and  faster  than  usual.  Randolph  alone 
was  brilliant  and  easy,  and,  to  Lee,  was  manifestly 
doing  what  he  could  to  divert  the  attention  of  his 
neighbours.  Before  the  women  rose  it  was  quite 
plain  that  they  were  really  nervous;  and  that  the 
influence  emanated  from  Fix.  His  silence  alone 
would  have  attracted  attention,  for  it  was  his  habit 
to  talk  incessantly  in  order  to  conceal  his  real  timid 
ity.  And  he  sat  staring  straight  before  him,  scarcely 
eating,  his  heavy  features  set  in  an  ugly  sneer. 

"  I  'm  on  the  verge  of  hysterics,"  said  Mary  Gifford 
to  Lee  as  they  entered  the  drawing-room.  "That 
man 's  working  himself  up  to  something.  He  's  a 
coward  and  his  courage  takes  a  lot  of  screwing,  but 
yhe  's  getting  it  to  the  sticking  point  as  fast  as  he  can, 
and  I  met  him  coming  out  of  Emmy's  rooms  about 
an  hour  before  dinner.  I  ran  over  to  speak  to  her 
about  something,  but  I  was  not  admitted.  He 
looked  as  if  they  'd  been  having  a  terrible  row  and 
he  was  ready  to  murder  some  one.  I'm  in  a  real 
funk.  But  if  he's  meditating  a  coup  de  thtdtre  we 
can  baulk  him  for  to-night  at  least.  It's  a  lovely 
night.  Get  everybody  out  of  doors  and  then  I  '11  see 
that  they  scatter.  I  '11  start  a  romp  the  moment  the 
men  come  out." 

"  Good.  I  '11  send  up  for  shawls  at  once.  I  '11  tell 
Coralie  to  look  after  Lord  Barnstaple;  she  always 
amuses  him.  Then  —  I  '11  dispose  of  Mr.  Fix." 

324 


and  English  Husbands 

"  Oh,  I  wish  I  could  be  there  to  see.  He  '11  sizzle 
and  freeze  at  once,  poor  wretch.  Well,  let's  get 
them  out.  I'll  deposit  Mrs.  Montgomery  in  the 
Sevres  room,  and  tell  her  to  look  at  the  crockery 
and  then  go  to  bed." 

Lee  had  intended  to  return  with  Cecil  to  the  tower 
and  inform  him  that  his  bitter  draught  was  to  be 
sweetened  for  the  present,  but  Fix  must  be  dealt  with 
summarily.  If  she  did  not  get  him  out  of  the  house 
before  Lord  Barnstaple  lost  his  head  there  would  be 
consequences  which  even  her  resolute  temper,  born 
of  the  exigencies  of  the  hour,  refused  to  contemplate. 

The  women,  pleased  with  the  suggestion  of  a  romp 

r~on   the  moor,  strolled,  meanwhile,  about  the   lake, 

/  looking   rather  less   majestic   than   the   swans,   who 

i  occasionally  stood  on  their  heads  as  if  disdainful  of 

the   admiration    of  mere   mortals.     When   the  men 

entered   the   drawing-room   Lee   asked   them  to  go 

outside  immediately,  and  Coralie  placed  her  hand  in 

Lord  Barnstaple's  arm  and  marched  htm  off. 

Lee  went  down  to  the  crypt  with  them,  then 
slipped  back  into  the  shadows  and  returned  to  the 
drawing-room.  Fix  had  greeted  her  suggestion  with 
a  sneer  and  a  scowl,  but  it  was  evident  that  his  plans 
had  been  frustrated,  and  that  he  was  not  a  man  of 
ready  wit.  He  had  sat  himself  doggedly  in  a  chair, 
obviously  to  await  the  return  of  Lord  Barnstaple  and 
his  guests.  He  sat  there  alone  as  Lee  re-entered, 
looking  smaller  and  commoner  than  usual  in  the 
great  expanse  of  the  ancient  room,  with  its  carven 
roof  that  had  been  blessed  and  cursed,  and  the  price 
less  paintings  on  the  panels  about  him.  The  Maun- 

325 


American  Wives 

drells  of  Holbein,  and  Sir  Joshua,  and  Sir  Peter 
seemed  to  have  raised  their  eyebrows  with  super 
cilious  indignation.  He  was  in  accord  with  nothing 
but  the  electric  lights. 

As  Lee  entered  he  did  not  rise,  but  his  scowl  and 
his  sneer  deepened. 

She  walked  directly  up  to  him,  and  as  he  met  her 
eyes  he  moved  slightly.  When  Lee  concentrated  all 
the  forces  of  a  strong  will  in  those  expressive  orbs, 
the  weaker  nature  they  bore  upon  was  liable  to  an 
attack  of  tremulous  self-consciousness.  She  knew 
the  English  character;  its  upper  classes  had  the 
arrogance  of  the  immortals;  millions  might  bury  but 
could  never  exterminate  the  servility  of  the  lower. 
Let  an  aristocrat  hold  a  man's  plebeianism  hard 
against  his  nostrils  and  the  poor  wretch  would  grovel 
with  the  overpowering  consciousness  of  it.  Lee  had 
determined  that  nothing  short  of  insolent  brutality 
\  would  dispose  of  Mr.  Fix.  And  for  sheer  insolence 
the  true  Californian  transcends  the  earth. 

"Why  haven't  you  gone?"  she  asked  as  if  she 
were  addressing  a  servant. 

Fix  too  had  his  arrogance,  the  arrogance  of  riches. 
Although  he  turned  pale,  he  replied  doggedly: 

"  I  'm  not  ready  to  go  and  I  don't  go  until  I  am. 
I  don't  know  what  you  mean."  He  spoke  grammati 
cally,  but  his  accent  was  as  irritating  as  only  the 
underbred  accents  of  England  can  be. 

"  You  know  what  I  mean.  You  saw  Lady  Barn- 
staple  this  afternoon.  She  told  you  you  must  go. 
We  don't  want  you  here." 

"  I  '11  stay  as  long  as  I " 

326 


and  English  Husbands 

"No,  my  good  man,  you  will  not;  you  will  go 
to-night.  I  have  ordered  the  carriage  for  the  eleven- 
ten  train  to  Leeds,  where  you  can  stay  the  night. 
Your  man  is  packing  your  box." 

"  I  won't  go,"  he  growled,  but  his  chest  was 
heaving. 

"  Oh  yes  you  will,  if  you  have  to  be  assisted  into 
the  carriage  by  two  footmen." 

He  pulled  himself  together,  although  it  was 
evident  that  his  nerves,  subjected  to  a  long  and 
severe  strain,  were  giving  way,  and  that  the  foun 
dations  of  his  insolence  were  weakened  by  the  po 
sition  in  which  she  had  placed  him.  He  said  quite 
distinctly : 

"  And  who  's  going  to  feed  this  crowd?  " 

"  My  husband  and  myself;  and  I  '11  trouble  you 
for  your  bill." 

"It's  a  damned  big  bill." 

"  I  think  not.  I  have  no  concern  with  what  you 
may  have  spent  elsewhere.  I  shall  ascertain  exactly 
when  my  mother-in-law's  original  income  ceased  and 
I  know  quite  as  well  as  you  do  what  is  spent  here ; 
so  be  careful  you  make  no  mistakes.  Now  go,  my 
good  man,  and  see  that  you  make  no  fuss  about  it." 

The  situation  would  unquestionably  have  been 
saved,  for  the  man  was  confounded  and  humiliated, 
but  at  that  moment  Lord  Barnstaple  entered  the 
room. 

"  My  dear  child,"  he  said,  "  I  was  a  brute  to  leave 
this  to  you.  Go  out  to  the  others.  I  will  follow  in 
a  moment." 

Lee,  who  was  really  enjoying  herself,  wheeled  about 
327 


American  Wives 

with  a  frown.    "  Do  go,"  she  said  emphatically.    "  Do 

go." 

"  And   leave   you  to   be  insulted   by  a   cur  who 

does  n't  know  enough  to  stand  up  in  your  presence. 
I  am  not  quite  so  bad  as  that."  He  turned  to  Fix, 
whose  face  had  become  very  red ;  even  his  eyeballs 
were  injected. 

"  I  believe  you  have  been  told  that  you  cannot  stay 
here,"  he  said.  "  I  am  sorry  to  appear  rude,  but  — 
you  must  go.  There  are  no  explanations  necessary, 
and  I  should  prefer  that  you  did  not  reply.  But  I 
insist  upon  you  leaving  the  house  to-night." 

Fix  jumped  to  his  feet  with  hard  fists.  "  Damn 
you  !  Damn  you  !  "  he  stuttered  hysterically,  but 
excitement  giving  him  courage  as  he  went  on :  "  and 
what 's  going  to  become  of  you  ?  Where  '11  you  and 
all  this  land  that  makes  such  a  h — 1  of  a  difference 
between  you  and  me  be  this  time  next  year?  It'll 
be  mine  as  it  ought  to  be  now !  And  where  '11  you 
be?  Who'll  be  paying  for  your  bread  and  butter? 
Who'll  be  paying  your  gambling  debts?  They've 
made  a  nice  item  in  my  expenses,  I  can  tell  you  !  If 
you  're  going  to  make  your  wife's  lover  pay  your  debts 
of  honour  —  as  you  swells  call  them  —  you  might  at 
least  have  the  decency  to  win  a  little  mor  'n  you  do." 

He  finished  and  stood  panting. 

Lord  Barnstaple  stood  like  a  stone  for  a  moment, 
then  he  caught  the  man  by  the  collar,  jerked  him  to 
an  open  window,  and  flung  him  out  as  if  he  had  been 
a  rat.  He  was  very  strong,  as  are  all  Englishmen  of 
his  class  who  spend  two-thirds  of  their  lives  in  the 
open  air,  and  his  face  was  merely  a  shade  paler  as 

328 


and  English  Husbands 

he  turned  to  Lee.  But  she  averted  her  eyes  hastily 
from  his,  nevertheless. 

"  Doubtless  that  man  spoke  the  truth,"  he  said 
calmly,  "  but  she  must  corroborate  it,"  and  he  went 
towards  the  stair  beyond  the  drawing-room  that  led 
to  his  wife's  apartments. 

Lee  ran  to  the  window.  Fix  was  sitting  up  on  the 
walk  holding  a  handkerchief  to  his  face.  No  one  else 
was  in  sight.  Presently  he  got  to  his  feet  and  limped 
into  the  house.  Lee  went  to  the  door  opposite  the 
great  staircase  and  saw  him  toil  past :  it  was  evident 
that  he  was  quite  ready  to  slink  away. 

She  sat  down  and  put  her  hand  to  her  eyes.  It 
seemed  to  her  that  they  must  ache  forever  with  what 
they  had  caught  sight  of  in  Lord  Barnstaple's.  In 
that  brief  glance  she  had  seen  the  corpse  of  a  gentle 
man's  pride. 

What  would  happen  !  If  Emmy  lost  her  courage, 
or  if  her  better  nature,  attenuated  as  it  was,  conquered 
her  spite,  the  situation  might  still  be  saved.  Lord 
Barnstaple  would  be  only  too  willing  to  receive  the 
assurance  that  the  man,  insulted  to  fury,  had  lied; 
and,  above  all,  Cecil  need  never  know.  There  was 
no  doubt  that  Lord  Barnstaple's  deserts  were  largely 
of  his  own  invoking,  but  she  set  her  nails  into  her 
palms  with  a  fierce  maternal  yearning  over  Cecil.  He 
was  blameless,  and  he  was  hers.  One  way  or  another 
he  should  be  spared. 

She  waited  for  Lord  Barnstaple's  return  until  she 
could  wait  no  longer.  If  he  were  not  still  with  Emmy 
—  and  it  was  not  likely  that  he  would  prolong  the 
interview  —  he  must  have  gone  to  his  rooms  by  the 

329 


American  Wives 

upper  corridors.  She  went  rapidly  out  of  the  draw 
ing-room  and  up  the  stair.  She  could  not  be  re 
garded  as  an  intruder  and  she  must  know  the  worst 
to-night.  What  would  Lord  Barnstaple  do  if  Emmy 
had  confessed  the  truth  ?  She  tried  to  persuade  her 
self  that  she  had  not  the  least  idea. 


and  English  Husbands 


\ 

CHAPTER  XXV 

HE  was  sitting  at  his  desk  writing;  and  as  he 
lifted  his  hand  at  her  abrupt  entrance  and 
laid  it  on  an  object  beside  his  papers  she  received  no 
shock  of  surprise.  She  went  forward  and  lifted  his 
hand  from  the  revolver. 

"  Must  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Of  course  I  must.  Do  you  think  I  could  live 
with  myself  another  day  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  no  one  need  ever  know." 

"  Everybody  in  England  will  know  before  a  week 
is  over.  She  gave  me  to  understand  that  people 
guessed  it  already." 

"  This  seems  such  a  terrible  alternative  to  a  woman 
—  but " 

"  But  you  have  race  in  you.  You  understand 
perfectly.  My  honour  has  been  sold,  and  my  pride 
is  dead :  there  is  no  place  among  men  for  what  is 
left  of  me.  And  to  face  my  son  again !  Good  God  !  " 

"  Can  nothing  be  done  to  keep  it  from  Cecil?  " 

"  Nothing.  It  is  the  only  heritage  I  leave  him  and 
he  '11  have  to  stand  it  as  best  he  can.  It  won't  kill 
him,  nor  his  courage ;  he 's  made  of  stronger  stuff  than 
that.  And  if  I  Ve  brought  the  family  honour  to  the 
dust,  he  has  it  in  him  to  raise  it  higher  than  it  has 
ever  been.  Never  let  him  forget  that.  You've 

33  * 


American  Wives 

played  your  part  well  all  along,  but  you  Ve  a  great 
deal  more  to  do  yet.  You  '11  find  that  Fate  did  n't 
steer  you  into  this  family  to  play  the  pretty  r61e  of 
countess " 

"  I  am  equal  to  my  part." 

"  Yes :  I  think  you  are.  Now  —  I  have  an  hour's 
work  before  me.  I  can't  let  you  go  till  I  have  finished. 
You  are  a  strong  creature  —  but  you  are  a  woman, 
all  the  same.  You  must  stay  here  until  I  am  ready  to 
let  you  go." 

"  I  want  to  stay  with  you." 

"  Thank  you.     Sit  down." 

He  handed  her  a  chair,  and  returned  to  his  writing. 

Lee  knew  that  if  he  had  condemned  her  to  the 
corridor  under  a  vow  of  secrecy  she  should  have 
paced  up  and  down  with  increasing  nervousness.  But 
she  felt  calm  enough  beside  him.  He  wrote  deliber 
ately,  with  a  steady  hand,  and  out  of  the  respect  he 
commanded  she  felt  as  profound  a  pity  for  him  as  she 
would  feel  when  she  stood  beside  him  in  the  crypt. 
The  soul  had  already  gone  out  of  him:  it  did  not 
even  strike  her  as  eerie  that  the  vigorous  body  beside 
her  would  demand  its  last  rites  in  an  hour. 

Although  taught  to  forgive  her  father,  she  had  been 
brought  up  in  a  proper  disapprobation  of  suicide. 
The  impressions  rooted  in  her  plastic  years  rose  and 
possessed  her  for  a  moment ;  but  she  wisely  refused 
to  consider  what  was  none  of  her  business.  She  did 
not  even  argue  Lord  Barnstaple's  case,  nor  remind 
herself  that  she  understood  him.  It  was  exclusively 
his  own  affair,  and  to  approve  or  condemn  him  was 
equally  impertinent. 

332 


and  English  Husbands 

Her  chair  faced  the  window.  The  crystal  moon 
hung  low  above  the  park.  The  woods  looked  old 
and  dark :  night  gave  them  back  their  mystery.  The 
lovely  English  landscape  was  steeped  in  the  repose 
which  the  centuries  had  given  it.  The  great  forests 
and  terrible  mountains  of  California  may  have  been 
born  in  earlier  throes,  but  they  still  brooded  upon  the 
mysteries  of  the  future.  England  was  worn  down  to 
peace  and  calm  by  centuries  of  passing  feet.  She  had 
the  repose  of  a  great  mind  in  the  autumn  of  its  years. 

Lee  melted  into  sympathy  with  the  country  of  her 
adoption.  California  loomed  darkly  in  the  back 
ground,  majestic  but  remote,  and  folding  itself  in  the 
mists  of  dreams.  It  had  belonged  to  her,  been  a  part 
of  her,  in  some  bygone  phase  of  herself.  She  was 
proud  to  have  come  out  of  it  and  glad  to  have  known 
it,  but  it  would  be  silent  to  her  hereafter.  She  was 
as  significantly  a  Maundrell  as  if  she  had  been  born 
in  her  tower ;  for  she  was,  and  indivisibly,  a  part  of 
her  husband. 

She  was  too  sensible  to  waste  time  in  upbraiding 
herself  for  her  conduct  of  the  past  fortnight.  It  had 
been  as  inevitable  as  exhaustion  after  excitement,  or 
mental  rebellion  after  years  of  unremitting  study ;  and 
the  suffering  it  had  caused  could  easily  be  transformed 
into  gratitude.  The  important  points  were  that  her 
reaction  had  worn  itself  Out,  and  that  the  tremendous 
climax  on  its  heels  had  forced  her  prematurely  into 
the  consciousness  that  the  three  years'  effort  to  be 
something  she  had  not  developed  in  the  previous 
twenty-one,  had  changed  her  character  and  her  brain 
as  indubitably  as  the  constant  action  of  water 

333 


American   Wives 

changes  the  face  of  a  rock.  One  month  of  her  old 
life  would  have  bored  her  to  extinction.  Two  months 
and  she  would  have  anathematised  the  continents  of 
land  and  water  between  herself  and  her  husband.  A 
fortnight  later  she  would  have  been  in  her  tower. 
Solemn  as  the  passing  moments  were,  she  could  not 
ignore  the  prick  of  ironical  relief  that  her  future  was 
to  lack  the  determined  effort  of  the  past  three  years. 
Her  new  self  would  fit  her  with  the  ease  of  a  garment 
long  worn.  Love  had  sustained  her  when  she  had 
desired  nothing  so  much  as  happiness ;  but  she  knew 
that  she  had  hardly  known  the  inchoation  of  love  un 
til  to-night.  Cecil,  in  his  terrible  necessity,  had  taken 
her  ego  into  his  own  breast. 

Her  thoughts  went  to  him  in  their  tower,  writing, 
like  his  father,  but  with  far  less  calm;  for  he  grew 
nervous  and  impatient  over  his  work.  It  seemed  a 
strange  and  terrible  thing  that  he  should  sit  there  un 
conscious  of  the  double  tragedy  preparing  for  him,  but 
she  was  glad  to  prolong  his  unconsciousness  as  long 
as  she  could.  And  she  would  be  the  one  to  tell  him. 

Lord  Barnstaple  laid  down  his  pen  and  sealed  his 
letters.  He  stood  up  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"  Good-bye,"  he  said. 

They  shook  hands  closely  and  in  silence.  Then 
she  went  out  and  he  closed  the  door  behind  her. 
She  stood  still,  waiting  for  the  signal.  She  could  not 
carry  the  news  of  his  death  to  his  son  until  he  was 
gone  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt.  It  was  so  long 
coming  that  she  wondered  if  his  courage  had  failed 
him,  or  if  he  were  praying  before  the  picture  of  his 
wife.  It  came  at  last. 

334 


and  English  Husbands 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

SHE  walked  rapidly  along  the  corridor  toward  the 
tower.  But  in  a  moment  or  two  she  turned 
back  and  went  in  the  direction  of  the  library.  It  was 
Randolph's  habit  to  read  there  when  the  other  guests 
were  playing  and  romping.  To-night's  frolic  would 
certainly  not  have  appealed  to  him.  It  was  more 
than  possible  that  he  was  there  alone,  or  in  his  room ; 
and  to-morrow  he  must  go  with  the  others.  It  might 
be  years  before  she  would  see  him  again,  and  it  would 
be  culpable  not  to  make  him  a  last  appeal.  If  the 
Abbey  was  lost  it  should  not  be  for  want  of  effort 
on  her  part. 

Randolph  was  in  the  library,  and  alone.  He  rose 
with  a  brilliant  smile  of  pleasure,  then  stood  and 
looked  hard  at  her. 

"  Something  has  happened,"  he  said.  "  You  look 
as  if  you  had  just  come  back  from  the  next  world." 

"  You  are  not  so  far  wrong.  Lord  Barnstaple  has 
just  killed  himself.  Things  had  come  to  his  knowl 
edge  that  I  hope  you  may  never  hear.  But  he  is 
dead,  and  to-morrow  you  will  have  gone." 

They  were  standing  close  together. 

"  You  will  not  return  to  California  with  us." 

"  I  would  never  leave  Cecil  Maundrell  for  an  hour 
again  if  I  could  help  it." 

335 


American  Wives 

They  exchanged  a  long  look,  and  when  it  was  over 
each  understood  the  other.  Lee  looked  down ;  then, 
in  the  unendurable  silence,  raised  her  eyes  again. 
She  averted  them  hastily.  His  were  the  eyes  of  men 
who  look  their  last.  It  was  the  second  time  she  had 
looked  into  a  man's  soul  to-night,  and  she  felt  cold 
and  faint.  What  should  she  see  in  Cecil's? 

And  how  was  she  to  speak  of  the  Abbey  in  the  face 
of  a  tragedy  like  this  ?  She  turned  to  go,  but  her  feet 
clung  to  the  floor.  The  Abbey  was  Cecil's,  and 
Cecil's  it  must  remain  if  its  rescue  were  within  the 
compass  of  her  determined  hands.  But  words  were 
hard  to  find. 

Then  she  remembered  that  she  had  very  eloquent 
eyes,  and  that  Randolph  was  versed  in  their  speech. 
She  raised  them  slowly  and  let  them  travel  about 
the  beautiful  old  room,  then  out  to  the  cloisters 
under  whose  crumbling  arches  hooded  shadows 
seemed  passing  to  and  fro;  then  raised  them  once 
more  to  his  with  an  expression  of  yearning  and 
appeal. 

"  Is  it  true  that  Lady  Barnstaple  is  ruined  ?  " 

"  She  has  not  a  penny." 

There  was  another  silence,  so  intense  that  they 
heard  the  echo  of  a  laugh,  far  out  on  the  moor. 

Randolph  picked  up  a  book  from  the  table,  and 
examined  its  title,  then  laid  it  down  again,  and  turned 
it  over. 

"  I  have  never  yet  broken  my  word,"  he  said. 

Lee  flashed  him  a  glance  full  of  tears  and  tribute. 
Then  once  more  that  night  she  shook  hands  with  a 
man  who  was  sick  with  the  bitterness  of  life. 

336 


and  English  Husbands 

She  left  the  library  and  went  rapidly  down  the  cor 
ridor.  As  she  passed  Lord  Barnstaple's  door  she 
noted  with  gratitude  that  there  was  no  sign  of  dis 
covery.  If  the  blow  could  be  softened  it  was  by  her 
alone. 

She  was  traversing  the  last  corridor  but  one  when 
her  eyes  were  arrested  by  the  chapel  and  the  church 
yard  on  the  hill.  She  paused  a  moment  and  regarded 
them  intently.  A  week  from  to-night  she  and  her 
husband  would  follow  Lord  Barnstaple  up  that  hill 
to  the  vault  beneath  the  chapel's  altar.  She  had 
hardly  realised  his  death  before,  but  that  solitary  hill, 
cold  under  the  moonlight,  cold  in  its  bosom,  coldly 
biding  its  Maundrells,  generation  after  generation,  cen 
tury  after  century,  made  the  tragedy  of  the  earl's 
death  one  of  the  several  sharply-cut  facts  of  her  life. 
They  were  five ;  she  counted  them  mechanically:  the 
violent  death  of  her  father,  her  meeting  with  Cecil, 
the  death  of  her  mother,  her  union  with  her  husband, 
the  violent  death  of  her  husband's  father.  There  was 
certainly  a  singular  coincidence  between  the  first  and 
the  last. 

As  she  continued  to  look  out  at  the  graveyard, 
dark  even  under  the  moon,  and  wondering  if  the  next 
great  fact  in  her  life  would  be  the  birth  of  a  child,  to 
be  borne  up  that  hill  supinely  in  his  turn,  following 
the  father  who  had  gone  long  since,  she  became 
aware  that  the  word  coincidence  was  swinging  to  and 
fro  in  her  mind,  although  the  other  words  of  its  com 
pany  had  gone  to  their  dust-heap.  She  frowned  and 
reproached  herself  for  giving  way  to  melancholy; 
then  reflected  that  she  would  be  less  than  mortal  if 
22  337 


American  Wives 

she  did  not  .  .  .  the  reiteration  of  the  word  annoyed 
her,  and  in  a  moment  she  had  fitted  it  into  her  con 
versation  with  Lord  Barnstaple  that  afternoon. 

Her  stiffening  eyes  returned  to  the  hill,  and  their 
vision  stabbed  through  the  mounds  to  the  bones  of 
the  abbots,  whose  brothers  had  cursed  the  Abbey. 
It  had  been  but  a  coincidence  perhaps,  but  it  had 
worked  itself  out  with  astonishing  regularity. 

Lee  became  conscious  that  she  was  as  cold  as  ice. 
The  Abbey  was  saved  to  the  Maundrells.  Was  Cecil 
dead?  Had  he  died  before  his  father?  Nothing 
could  be  more  unlikely,  for  he  was  the  healthiest  of 
men,  and  there  was  no  one  to  murder  him. 

She  shook  herself  violently  and  took  her  nerves  in 
hand.  Two  years  ago  she  would  have  flung  off  the 
superstition  as  quickly,  but  to-day  the  old  world  and 
all  its  traditions  had  taken  her  imagination  into  its 
mould.  Had  Fix  —  or  that  silent,  persistent,  unfath 
omable  woman,  his  sister 

She  ran  towards  the  tower,  gripping  her  nerves; 
for  if  Cecil  were  there  she  would  have  need  of  all  her 
faculties.  It  was  no  part  of  her  programme  to  burst 
in  upon  him  and  scream  and  stammer  her  terrible 
bulletin.  But  she  was  a  woman,  frightened,  horrified, 
overwrought  with  hours  of  nervous  tension.  When 
she  reached  the  stair  her  knees  were  shaking,  and  she 
climbed  the  long  spiral  so  slowly  that  she  would  have 
called  her  husband's  name  could  she  have  found  her 
voice.  She  wished  she  had  asked  him  to  write  in 
her  boudoir,  whose  open  door  was  as  black  as  the 
entrance  to  a  cave ;  but  he  was  —  should  be  —  in  his 
own  little  sitting-room  above. 

338 


and  English  Husbands 

She  climbed  the  next  flight  with  something  more 
of  resolution ;  courage  comes  to  all  strong  natures  as 
they  approach  the  formidable  moments  of  their  lives. 
At  the  last  turning  she  saw  a  blade  of  light,  but  the 
door  was  too  thick  to  pass  a  sound.  When  she 
reached  it  her  fear  and  superstition,  and  the  obses 
sion  they  had  induced,  left  her  abruptly,  and  she 
opened  the  door  at  once.  Cecil  was  writing  quietly. 


THE  END. 


339 


FEE 


RENEWAI 
RENE* 

RE 

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